Vengeance for impunity

Ossetian journalists ask Taymuraz Mamsurov to make the penalty for paedophilia harsherNorth Ossetian society has come out in support of Elvina Cogoeva, who confessed to killing her little daughter’s rapist while in a state of temporary insanity. The “Mothers of Beslan” organization and members of special forces units “Alpha” and “Vimpel”, who participated in the Beslan school hostage crisis, supported Ms. Cogoeva.

What happened?
This tragedy started more than a year ago in Vladikavkaz. Back then, people weren’t used to locking their front doors, and in summer kids used to play outside all day long. The Cogoevs have three daughters. The ill-fated day started like any other, but then the youngest daughter disappeared. All the neighbors helped search for her, until eighteen year-old Igor Uvigev, who stayed at his grandmother’s house nearby, brought the child back and left. While there are many gaps in the story, it transpired that a sexual assault on the child had taken place, a fact confirmed by medical and psychological investigations. Soon afterwards Igor disappeared and a few days later Elvina surrendered herself to the authorities. She said she wanted to clarify the situation with Igor, and then she doesn’t remember her actions. Experts confirm that she was acting in a state of temporary insanity. When she was arrested, the public stood up for her, trying to attract attention to the problem of paedophilia: the rapist was sentenced to five years deprivation of liberty, but only nominally. So this murder might be a reaction to such a mild punishment, and this act of mob rule is a warning for all perpetrators. The “Mothers of Beslan” organization supported Ms. Cogoeva, demanding that her children have their mother near them.

Who wins?
Ms. Cogoeva was eventually sentenced to eight years imprisonment. Three children will be deprived of their mother if the Supreme Court doesn’t commute the sentence. There is still, however, the Uvigevs’ version of events: that Elvina had had an affair with Igor, and that her husband, recently returned from serving a sentence for an economic crime, killed his wife’s lover. As for the experts’ opinions, the Uvigevs say that they were bribed.
The case remains obscure, as there are no witnesses. We can’t be sure that Uvigev was guilty, but this incident brings particular attention to the problem of child abuse. Thus, the journalists of North Ossetia asked the Republic’s President, Taymuraz Mamsurov, to make the penalty for paedophilia tougher.

Tamara Bunturi (Vladikavkaz), exclusively to VK