Signatures of Krasnodar Krai residents in support of convicted Tsogoeva sent to RF President

Collection of signatures continues in Krasnodar Krai in support of Elvina Tsogoeva, 36, resident of North Ossetia, who killed a 19-year-old young man, thinking that he had raped her three-year-old daughter. Part of signatures have been sent to the Russian President.

Albert Gayamian, organizer of the action, director of the human rights center "Presumption", tells the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on July 5 morning, the first part of signatures in support of Tsogoeva (529 signatures) was sent by a registered letter to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.

"We collect signatures in support of Elvina Tsogoeva who has been sentenced to 8 years of prison for murdering the pedophile who raped her 3-year-old daughter," says Arthur Balayan, assistant of the organizer. "The lawyer of Tsogoeva has filed a constitutional complaint and asks the term to be reduced to two years of conditional sentence. In its turn, the "Presumption committee has organized collection of signatures in protest against the sentence. The action is going on rather successfully ".

"Eight years of prison for a broken-hearted mother is too much," says Alexander Balayan, head of legal propaganda section of the human rights committee "Presumption". "We understand that a crime has been committed. But it is a two-party crime. And we ask, as an exception, not to put the mother to prison and let her rear her children. Otherwise, they are going to be taken to children's homes or asylums."

"Our action demonstrates that the public opinion is mostly in favor of Tsogoeva. Nine out of every ten people, while recognizing that a crime has been committed by the woman, assume that they themselves would have behaved in a similar way", says Alexander Balayan.

Note that the family of murdered Igor Uvizhev are sure that their son is not guilty.

The story of Tsogoeva has caused a wide-spread response. Support of Tsogoeva has been expressed by North Ossetia president Taimuraz Mamsurov, children's doctor Leonid Roshal, veterans of special FSS units "Alpha" and "Vympel" who took part in liberating hostages in Beslan school, and also the organization "Mothers of Beslan". Additionally, Pavel Astakhov, ombudsman on children's rights under the RF President, has promised to monitor the fate of the woman.