I Can Not Stand It

[euronatura]

Ok - Hardly ever post but read lots here. But today I have to rant. Anyone here upto date on this minister guy in Russia that was caught with a box of bullets? Sentenced to 3 years.

All I have to say is that the Russian Court System is RIGHT!!! He was caught with illegal ammunition. If he has traveled there so much, he should have known and if he did not, he should have called the Consulate before his trip to ask. Ignorance is not an acceptable defense.

Furthermore, today on the news, they were interviewing one of his parishioners or something like that. This person was saying that this is most likely cause the Russion Orthodox Church does not like evangelicals and that this is a religious thing. WTF!!!!!!!!

He got caught breaking the law - PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!!

[kerry]

Link to the story??

[Mistress]

I want to know how he got on a plane with bullets????? What was he doing with bullets anyway?

[euronatura]

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a U.S. pastor to more than three years in prison for smuggling hunting ammunition into Russia.


Phillip Miles admits bringing the shells into Russia but said he did not bother to check if Russian laws differed from U.S. laws.

Phillip Miles, from South Carolina, has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 3. He was arrested several days after customs agents at a Moscow airport found a box of 20 rifle shells in his luggage.

The court sentenced him to serve three years and two months in prison, with the sentence calculated from his detention date.

Miles has said he brought the .300 caliber cartridges for a friend who had recently bought a Winchester rifle. He said he did not know bringing such ammunition into Russia was illegal.

Judge Olga Drozdova accepted in her 20-minute summation that Miles had brought the ammunition for a friend, "as they are both inveterate hunters."

The cartridges were not initially found as he flew into Moscow. They were detected a day later as airport security put his luggage through an X-ray machine while he was on his way to check in for a flight to Perm, a city in Siberia.

Miles was dressed in a gray jacket and clerical collar for his sentencing.

"I'm very disappointed. It's a strange sentence for one box of hunting bullets," he said as court bailiffs led him in handcuffs from the courtroom cage, where defendants in Russian criminal courts are held during trial.

His lawyer said the sentence was surprisingly severe.

"I hoped he would only be found guilty of the illegal possession of ammunition," Vladimir Ryakhovsky said.

He said the conviction for smuggling was unfounded as his client had acted without any intent to break the law.

An appeal will be filed within 10 days, he said.

Miles seemed relaxed throughout the judge's summation.

His interpreter struggled to keep up with the judge's delivery and stopped at various points throughout the sentencing. At one point, Miles tapped the interpreter's elbow to remind her to resume.

Miles has admitted bringing in the shells, but said he did not bother to check if Russian laws differed from U.S. laws.

But Drozdova said the court could not condone ignorance of Russian customs regulations and noted Miles had visited the country more than 10 times.

She also stressed repeatedly that information on baggage limitations was available in the airport in both English and Russian.

Ryakhovsky said, however, that leaflets in the airport contained no specific references to a prohibition on taking cartridges onto flights.

"The judge's finding on that front was dishonest," he said.

Miles will remain in a Moscow jail until the appeal

[kerry]

It's true that the Russian Orthodox are pissed at Evangelicals. Since the Soviet Union broke up, Evangelicals have seen Russia as prime territory for missionary work, competing with the Russian Orthodox church which is trying to reestablish itself. I remember that the Orthodox church had been taking legal steps to try to limit evangelical missionaries.
Odd that his friend can have the Winchester rifle but you can't bring ammunition for the rifle into the country.

[euronatura]

Well, that is one of the points that really got under my skin this morning. While getting dressed, heard the parishioner talking on the TV how that this is most likely religious prosecution.

Religion has abosolutely nothing to do with this. The guy broke the law, period! As I said ignorance is not a defense.

As for having a Winchester and no bullets. Here in Guatemala you can bring in a gun or bullets, but need to declare it upon entering. Furthermore, to be able to do this, you need to have your concealed weapons permit valid. Therefore when you come in with the gun or bullets, you declare it and they register it to you weapons permit.

[Hatterasguy]

Well that wasn't very smart.

If he is a US citizen I would hope our embassy would try to pull some strings. Hopefully he can quitly be shipped back to the states after a few months.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by euronatura

Well, that is one of the points that really got under my skin this morning. While getting dressed, heard the parishioner talking on the TV how that this is most likely religious prosecution.

I lived in the apartments some time ago. Idiot was running some sort of operation where girls tried to get a hold of him. Wifey was in school and needed to get up early for classes or do work. Now, since he fell asleep, the girls couldn't get in. So they buzzed all the apartments till someone let them in. Trying to be a good neighbor, I talked to him first. Did he appreciate it? Nope.

You come in like the mother fawking po lice and tell me this? You wouldn't do this if I was not black. Who do you think you are!!

I tried to explain to him that at 2-4 am, people buzzing the door sound pretty much the same. There is no "black" or "white" buzzer. They are both annoying. Gave up explaining to him and I just said I am telling the managers (both of whom were hotties) so it wasn't so bad. Told them that if they didn't get it to stop, I will take the appropriate action. They just said "This meeting didn't occur and we didn't talk to you are we aren't talking to you anymore. Please take the bucket on the way out and use it as you see fit."

Somehow whenever the bell rings at the wee hours of the morning, it shook the bucket of water and made it fall on the "guest". 2 months later, he was evicted.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Well that wasn't very smart.

If he is a US citizen I would hope our embassy would try to pull some strings. Hopefully he can quitly be shipped back to the states after a few months.

Ya think?

Why? In prison, he can try covert a few people.

[Carleton Hughes]

Nought amiss with a bit of religious "prosecution"...Keep the sky pilots on their twinklin' toes

[Jim B.]

"Ignorance of the Law" usually doesn't work ANYWHERE in the world as an excuse for people who get caught breaking it, even tourists.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

"Ignorance of the Law" usually doesn't work ANYWHERE in the world as an excuse for people who get caught breaking it, even tourists.

Fly into Singapore and they announce when you are getting near about drugs and what happens to you. You can't even say "OMG!! I had no idea!! Did I do something wrong??"

[Ara T.]

3 years for hunting bullets? Fine him and be done with it. What are Russian prisons like anywho?

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Ara T.

3 years for hunting bullets? Fine him and be done with it.

What are Russian prisons like anywho?

Doesn't matter what they are. He should have checked before bringing stuff like that across the border. Otherwise they have to do the same to anyone else who had that same kind of "whoops".

You probably have the right to have no rights.

[Ara T.]

Well too bad he isn't rich or famous enough to get a slap on the wrist then.