You're reading: Police hassle merchants at Troyeshchyna market; racism, corruption seen

The biggest Kyiv street market, in the Troyeshchyna residential district, has lately been a dangerous place for entrepreneurs, with police detaining hundreds of workers with non-Slavic appearances.

According to those detained, they are packed on to buses, forced to spend the night in police stations without lawyers or cause, accused of minor violations with trumped-up evidence, shaken down for bribes and then let go.

 

Volodymyr Dmytrenko, the Kyiv police spokesman, was even sympathetic to his colleagues for making the arrests.

They say the current problem reveals not only the enormous scope of Ukrainian corruption, but also big racial discrimination issues.

Most of the detainees have been repeatedly taken into custody several times during the last couple of weeks, despite the fact that many are Ukrainian citizens, while others have long-term residence permits or are in the process of getting Ukrainian citizenship.


Amid entrepreneurs who work legally, illegal immigrants often hide.”

– Volodymyr Dmytrenko, a Kyiv police spokesman.

Police deny wrongdoing and say the crackdown at Troyeshchyna market is part of their legitimate law enforcement duties.

“Amid entrepreneurs who work legally, illegal immigrants often hide,” said Volodymyr Dmytrenko, a Kyiv police spokesman.

“During the last nine months, we have detained 236 people from the market who were accused of breaking the law on terms of registration in Ukraine. Another 655 people were detained due to violations of procedure for foreign citizen`s employment.”

But the targets of the police crackdown say they have violated no laws or immigration rules and have legal status.

“Approximately three weeks ago, police buses arrived for the first time and more than 100 people were detained. It happened around 10 a.m. and we were let go at 3.30 p.m. so the whole working day was wasted,” said market worker Masud, who sells jeans.

A Ukrainian citizen who is originally from Bangladesh, Masud did not give his last name because he fears police revenge. Masud was detained twice already during the last couple of weeks.

Masud has lived in Ukraine for more than 15 years. He is married to a Bangladeshi woman, also a citizen now. Their two children go to Kyiv schools.

After a night in detention, when I was arrested for the second time, I was shown the police protocol where it was stated I cursed police officers and was arrested for that.”

– Masud, market worker.

“After a night in detention, when I was arrested for the second time, I was shown the police protocol where it was stated I cursed police officers and was arrested for that. They brought me to court in the morning and I told the judge the whole story. She was quite mad and said ‘I don’t know why they keep bringing you people here, like we have nothing to do!’ and let me go,” Masud said.

His furious wife called the Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, but they advised her to write to the general prosecutor.

More than 120 people from Bangladesh work at the market.

Another 500 come from Afghanistan, several hundred from Pakistan, many from China and other countries.

A lot of them are already Ukrainian citizens, having lived in the country for decades, most graduated from local universities.

“I spent 21 years in Bangladesh and 27 already in Ukraine. Here I graduated from Kharkiv University. I consider myself Ukrainian. But it turns out I am a second-class citizen. Apparently there are ‘right’ Ukrainian passports and ‘wrong’ ones,” one of Masud’s colleague said bitterly.

I spent 27 already in Ukraine. I consider myself Ukrainian. But it turns out I am a second-class citizen. Apparently there are ‘right’ Ukrainian passports and ‘wrong’ ones.”

– A Bangladeshi market worker.

He is also a Bangladeshi native afraid to identify himself out of fear of police retribution.

Abdul Navit Abdulkayum, a Ukrainian citizen of Afghani origin, tells how he was detained on Oct. 6: “The protocol was ready at the time when I was detained; they just showed it to me with the accusation that I cursed a policemen. I was just packing to go home and didn’t speak to anyone at all! There were already two ‘witnesses’ written in the protocol. I asked the policemen – why are you doing this? They laugh and say, ‘we do no harm to you, our boss just wants us to show good detention statistics.”

Yevgeniy Zakharov, chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, is aware of the mass detentions at the market.

“I think the police are getting ready for parliamentary hearings on the human rights situation in the Interior Ministry. The hearings are to take place on Nov. 11, Zakharov said.

“Surely they have to report they are actually doing something, like fighting illegal immigration.”

Experts say detentions are either designed to help boost statistics, make money from bribes or squeeze foreigners out of the market.

“To me this looks like a special operation. Because to detain people multiple times for no reason is outrageous,” said Mridula Ghosh, chairwoman of board of the East European Development Institute in Kyiv.

The explanation has the ring of truth.

Mykhailo Brodsky, head of a government committee for regulatory police and entrepreneurship, recently posted a very controversial statement on his blog:

“Citizens of various countries come to Ukraine, they arrange falsified marriages and get our passports. There are very few Ukrainians working at our markets and they mostly are employees, not owners.”

Even if they are citizens of Ukraine, what positive contribution are they making to this country? None. They stand on their market, sell goods of bad quality.”

– Volodymyr Dmytrenko, the Kyiv police spokesman.

He also stated that police are checking the market for smuggling, but never backed up his charges.

According to those detained, they were asked to pay up to Hr 100 in bribes.

“When they get dozens of people to a police station, it takes them hours to write something down, take pictures and fingerprints. It looks like they are dragging out time in purpose.

They say: ‘If you are in hurry, pay Hr 50 and go before others,” said Ukrainian citizen of Pakistani origin Ahmad Zahoor.

Dmytrenko, the Kyiv police spokesman, was even sympathetic to his colleagues for making the arrests.

“Even if they are citizens of Ukraine, what positive contribution are they making to this country? None. They stand on their market, sell goods of bad quality,” Dmytrenko said. “It’s scary to walk in that market. This is my personal opinion.”

Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected].