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Пишет Антон Николаев (![[info]](http://lj.rossia.org/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} halfaman)@ 2012-12-15 14:40:00 |
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"Produkty" Grocery Store. Modern-Day Slavery in Russia. Eighth Report.
On November 24, in honor of the upcoming International Migrants Day, Moscow’s Teatr.doc staged a witness show entitled The Migrant Workers of the “Produkty” Grocery Store.
Bakiya was the only one taking part, since the other ex-slaves had apparently grown weary of the incessant media attention. In a private conversation, the women said that it would be painful for them to dwell on their past in captivity with its attendant pain and suffering, or worse yet, to see their pain and suffering spun into a source of entertainment. They must have imagined a conventional theater with a stage and a curtain.
"A mutual acquaintance told me, 'This is a good job. You're going to get paid.' And I bought into it."
The theater lighting, along with a layer of makeup and a coat of nail polish, gave Bakiya a more youthful complexion, somewhat softening the ravishing effects of servitude. Bakiya told the audience of Zhansulu Istambekova’s deceptive job offer and the privations it entailed: She would become a slave for a decade and be beaten for any reason, with or without cause.
The show also featured Irina Sheleketova, a staff member at the Civic Assistance Committee, a non-governmental organization that provides assistance to refugees and migrant workers in need. Now, the fates of the former slaves lie in the hands of this organization. Irina said that a medical examination confirmed that the women had broken fingers, knocked-out teeth, ripped ears, and other signs of physical abuse and torture.
A significant portion of the show was dominated by Russian Transhumanist Movement activist Danila Medvedev, whose involvement had been crucial to the success of the “siege” of the “Produkty” grocery store. Danila first got wind of the slave situation from Alternativa movement activist Oleg Melnikov, who had been contacted earlier by Tajinar Ashirova, the mother of ex-slave Zarina and the aunt of ex-slave Leila. Up until October 2012, Tajinar had sought legal ways to rescue her daughter and niece, but police officials in Kazakhstan and in Moscow kept brushing her off. Tajinar says that Zhansulu Istambekova’s crimes are being covered up by her allies at the Golyanovo district police station in Moscow and by her lover and protector Kairat Balabiev, a high-ranking official and businessman in Kazakhstan. With no police help in sight, activists from the Russian Transhumanist Movement and the Alternativa movement joined forces to mount a rescue operation of their own.
After scouting out the premises and seeing that the cashiers were “in really bad shape,” Danila and Oleg put together an improvised rescue squad of about 10 activists and reporters and burst into the store. With surprise and numbers on their side, the squad managed to rescue most of the slaves, except for Riscul: Zhansulu grabbed her favorite slave and wouldn’t let go. In the commotion, Zhansulu and her husband slipped out through the back door with the slaves’ children. Two children, Bakiya’s son Baurzhan and Leila’s son Bakhyt, were later found abandoned at a train station. Amir and Asel, the children of missing veteran slave Saltanat, haven’t been found. As for Riscul, Zhansulu took her away to Kazakhstan.
During the show, Danila Medvedev pointed out that people could be turned into slaves in Russia just as easily as in Central Asia. He quoted some authorities: “Putin said in a speech that the revenue from the Russian slave trade boasts an estimated $200 million annually. According to UN data, the country is home to 500,000 to 2 million slaves.” Danila believes that a proper criminal investigation coupled with sustained media coverage could provide the breathing room the activists need to regroup and wage an all-out war on slavery in Russia, and he thinks that the atrocities that took place in the “Produkty” grocery store could be the springboard for such a war campaign. What happened was out-and-out slavery at the heart of Russia, and the slaves were Russian-speaking nationals of post-Soviet countries who were not only subjected to labor exploitation, torture, and sexual assault, but were also forced to see their children born into the world as living property. Moreover, the victims saw police officers take bribes for covering up Zhansulu Istambekova’s crimes, rather than taking action to thwart them. Sholpan Istambekova, Zhansulu’s sister, was imprisoned in 2002 on charges of human trafficking, but a year later was granted a full pardon by President Vladimir Putin.
When the audience asked for answers to the question, “How could you possibly have remained in servitude for so long?” Bakiya replied that some of the slaves had attempted to escape, but success was limited to men and women without children. The escaped women who had to leave their children in the grocery store went to the police for help, only to be handed back to their captors. Zhansulu wanted her slaves to give birth to children never destined to know freedom.
An Uzbek newspaper editor asked whether the slaves and Zhansulu Istambekova were blood-related, pointing out that it is common practice in Uzbekistan to enslave one’s relatives. Bakiya replied that Zhansulu’s own nephew had once been her slave. Saltanat, the missing long-time slave, is a distant relative of Zhansulu’s husband. The rest of the ex-slaves are not related to their ex-mistress. The Kazakh city of Shymkent, where Zhansulu owns substantial property, is her main source of slave labor.
"Officer Nassif Nesreddin is guilty of covering up Istambekova's crimes."
After the show, I asked Danila whether he feared possible slander accusations from Nassif Nasreddin, one of the corrupt police officers, to which Danila replied that he would in fact be glad if such accusations ensued, since they would only serve to perpetuate this story. But the likely scenario here is that Nassif will prudently choose not to get involved any further.
Author: Victoria Lomasko
Translation: Valentine Sergeyev
First report
Second report
Third report
Fourth report
Fifth report
Sixth report
Seventh report
Eighth report
Ninth report
All nine reports in Russian
On November 24, in honor of the upcoming International Migrants Day, Moscow’s Teatr.doc staged a witness show entitled The Migrant Workers of the “Produkty” Grocery Store.
Bakiya was the only one taking part, since the other ex-slaves had apparently grown weary of the incessant media attention. In a private conversation, the women said that it would be painful for them to dwell on their past in captivity with its attendant pain and suffering, or worse yet, to see their pain and suffering spun into a source of entertainment. They must have imagined a conventional theater with a stage and a curtain.
"A mutual acquaintance told me, 'This is a good job. You're going to get paid.' And I bought into it."
The theater lighting, along with a layer of makeup and a coat of nail polish, gave Bakiya a more youthful complexion, somewhat softening the ravishing effects of servitude. Bakiya told the audience of Zhansulu Istambekova’s deceptive job offer and the privations it entailed: She would become a slave for a decade and be beaten for any reason, with or without cause.
The show also featured Irina Sheleketova, a staff member at the Civic Assistance Committee, a non-governmental organization that provides assistance to refugees and migrant workers in need. Now, the fates of the former slaves lie in the hands of this organization. Irina said that a medical examination confirmed that the women had broken fingers, knocked-out teeth, ripped ears, and other signs of physical abuse and torture.
A significant portion of the show was dominated by Russian Transhumanist Movement activist Danila Medvedev, whose involvement had been crucial to the success of the “siege” of the “Produkty” grocery store. Danila first got wind of the slave situation from Alternativa movement activist Oleg Melnikov, who had been contacted earlier by Tajinar Ashirova, the mother of ex-slave Zarina and the aunt of ex-slave Leila. Up until October 2012, Tajinar had sought legal ways to rescue her daughter and niece, but police officials in Kazakhstan and in Moscow kept brushing her off. Tajinar says that Zhansulu Istambekova’s crimes are being covered up by her allies at the Golyanovo district police station in Moscow and by her lover and protector Kairat Balabiev, a high-ranking official and businessman in Kazakhstan. With no police help in sight, activists from the Russian Transhumanist Movement and the Alternativa movement joined forces to mount a rescue operation of their own.
After scouting out the premises and seeing that the cashiers were “in really bad shape,” Danila and Oleg put together an improvised rescue squad of about 10 activists and reporters and burst into the store. With surprise and numbers on their side, the squad managed to rescue most of the slaves, except for Riscul: Zhansulu grabbed her favorite slave and wouldn’t let go. In the commotion, Zhansulu and her husband slipped out through the back door with the slaves’ children. Two children, Bakiya’s son Baurzhan and Leila’s son Bakhyt, were later found abandoned at a train station. Amir and Asel, the children of missing veteran slave Saltanat, haven’t been found. As for Riscul, Zhansulu took her away to Kazakhstan.
During the show, Danila Medvedev pointed out that people could be turned into slaves in Russia just as easily as in Central Asia. He quoted some authorities: “Putin said in a speech that the revenue from the Russian slave trade boasts an estimated $200 million annually. According to UN data, the country is home to 500,000 to 2 million slaves.” Danila believes that a proper criminal investigation coupled with sustained media coverage could provide the breathing room the activists need to regroup and wage an all-out war on slavery in Russia, and he thinks that the atrocities that took place in the “Produkty” grocery store could be the springboard for such a war campaign. What happened was out-and-out slavery at the heart of Russia, and the slaves were Russian-speaking nationals of post-Soviet countries who were not only subjected to labor exploitation, torture, and sexual assault, but were also forced to see their children born into the world as living property. Moreover, the victims saw police officers take bribes for covering up Zhansulu Istambekova’s crimes, rather than taking action to thwart them. Sholpan Istambekova, Zhansulu’s sister, was imprisoned in 2002 on charges of human trafficking, but a year later was granted a full pardon by President Vladimir Putin.
When the audience asked for answers to the question, “How could you possibly have remained in servitude for so long?” Bakiya replied that some of the slaves had attempted to escape, but success was limited to men and women without children. The escaped women who had to leave their children in the grocery store went to the police for help, only to be handed back to their captors. Zhansulu wanted her slaves to give birth to children never destined to know freedom.
An Uzbek newspaper editor asked whether the slaves and Zhansulu Istambekova were blood-related, pointing out that it is common practice in Uzbekistan to enslave one’s relatives. Bakiya replied that Zhansulu’s own nephew had once been her slave. Saltanat, the missing long-time slave, is a distant relative of Zhansulu’s husband. The rest of the ex-slaves are not related to their ex-mistress. The Kazakh city of Shymkent, where Zhansulu owns substantial property, is her main source of slave labor.
"Officer Nassif Nesreddin is guilty of covering up Istambekova's crimes."
After the show, I asked Danila whether he feared possible slander accusations from Nassif Nasreddin, one of the corrupt police officers, to which Danila replied that he would in fact be glad if such accusations ensued, since they would only serve to perpetuate this story. But the likely scenario here is that Nassif will prudently choose not to get involved any further.
Author: Victoria Lomasko
Translation: Valentine Sergeyev
First report
Second report
Third report
Fourth report
Fifth report
Sixth report
Seventh report
Eighth report
Ninth report
All nine reports in Russian
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