Attempted murder of Alexander SENOTRUSOV – an environmentalist and politician, committed on December 29, 2011 at 14 hours and 45 minutes in the village of Lebyazh'e, Lomonosov district of St. Petersburg Region, Russia | Зеленый мир
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Attempted murder of Alexander SENOTRUSOV – an environmentalist and politician, committed on December 29, 2011 at 14 hours and 45 minutes in the village of Lebyazh'e, Lomonosov district of St. Petersburg Region, Russia

30.12.2011

Baltic Newsletter of Green World #118

An unknown man in a black tracksuit and a black cloth mask with slits for eyes, quietly crept into an empty place, and struck a blow to Alexander in the back of his head from behind with a baseball bat. Alexander fell to the ground and for a moment lost consciousness. The assailant managed to make about 10 blows with the bat as Alexander tried to get up. At one point the victim managed to knock the bat out of the hands of the attacker with a bag of garbage was lying beside him. After receiving an unexpected response, the assailant fled, taking the bat.

A thick winter hat and winter jacket softened the blows and they did not become fatal.

Nevertheless, a brain contusion, haematoma in the right eye, bruised chest, and broken finger resulted...

The ambulance which was called from the Lomonosov district capital refused to travel 20 km to the village of Lebiazh'e, citing a lack of machines. The police also reacted strangely, suggesting that the victim contact a doctor and refused to act on the crime....

With help of a private car of a colleague in Sosnovy Bor (20 km west of Lebiazh’e), Alexander was taken to the Lomonosov district hospital and admitted to the surgical department.

The incident was not a robbery. The assailant did not even try to take the mobile phone that fell from the victim’s hands or watch...

There is no doubt of what happened – as a result of an active environmental advocacy, an attempt was made to remove a person from the path of the municipal corruption schemes of the sale of the land reserve "Poliana Bianki," and of the nature reserve "Lebiazhii" – Ramsar site (a wetland of international importance), as well as land water protection zone of the Gulf of Finland Baltic Sea.

Thanks to the development of criminal schemes, Lebiazh’e municipal authorities and the Lomonosov district have attempted to enrich themselves to an amount not less than 2 billion roubles (about $ 70 millions). An obstacle in the form of the life of one person in order to receive such profits appears to be, in their understanding, a small price to pay.

Alexander Senotrusov serves as NGO “GREEN WORLD” Council member and head of the Ecological and Cultural GREEN WORLD Centre in the village of Lebiazh'e, deputy chairperson of the environmental fraction of "YABLOKO" - Russian democratically party in Leningrad Region.

For many years Alexander has been an advocate of environmental and historical and cultural values. Through his efforts, and with the support of residents, Lebiazh’e has become known for a great writer who worked on the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland, and Russia's first municipal nature reserve "Poliana Bianki" was created. Alexander has initiated appeals to prosecutors at various levels, and has sought the repeal of illegal commercial intrusion into protected areas. Here are some examples (in Russian):

Thanks to the effective action of Alexander, and with the support of residents of Lebiazh’e and the entire southern coast the Gulf of Finland, much of the natural values of the region have been preserved. But it has not been to the liking government officials- businessmen and local district authorities.

During the spring of 2011, Alexander, one year before his retirement age, was dismissed "on grounds of redundancy" from the municipal institution of additional education. Years of work on a collection for Lebiazh’e historical and ethnographic museum had to be removed from the municipal school and the office of the environmental and cultural centre of Green World had to be closed. But Alexander continued to be active, living on a very small unemployment payment without hope of receiving work only one year before retirement age.

The assassination attempt on AIexander Senotrusov is a desperate attempt to break a man who has defended his civil rights, and the environmental, historical and cultural values ​​of Russia on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland.
GREEN WORLD demands that not only the perpetrator of the crime but also only the person who ordered this crime be found. Justice must be served!

We demand an investigation of the reasons for refusal to provide emergency medical care, and of the police inaction after the crime!

This issue was prepared by

Oleg Bodrov, Gennady Shabarin & Nathaniel Trumbull
tel. +7 921 74 52 631
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