Transnistria Supreme Court gives 20 years to Tiraspol bus bomber

Tiraspol, 13 August 2006: In the back of city-bus #226, a grenade went off; killing 2. The bomber got 20 years.

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - The Supreme Court in Pridnestrovie (or Transdniester, as it is also known) has sentenced a local resident to 20 years in jail for carrying out a grenade explosion in Tiraspol, the capital of the unrecognized country, in August of 2006.

The accidental explosion in a trolleybus killed two and injured ten, including the bomber himself.

As a result of the explosion, 6-year old Alisa Kravtsova and a 69-year old pensioner, Victor Yevshkov, died. Ten people were injured, five of them seriously.

PMR Supreme Court Judge Valentin Chyorny said Sergei Kapustin, 50, a security guard, was guilty on six charges according to the country's criminal code. The court said that his motive was hatred for the management of an agricultural company, Rustas, where he worked as a security guard. The day before the bombing, Kapustin's wife had been fired from her job at Rustas.

On 13 August 2006 Kapustin boarded a trolleybus to Tiraspol carrying a homemade explosive based on two RGD-5 fragmentary grenades. He intended to take it to the Rustas company headquarters and place it at the entrance to the director's office, in order to cause material damage. He explained to the court that he did not mean for anyone to get hurt, since employees were not normally at the office during a Sunday.

However, after realizing that he had taken the wrong trolleybus, Kapustin attempted to leave bus #226. As he went to get off, the bomb exploded and accidentally killed two people, including a six-year-old girl. Ten more passengers were injured, including Kapustin himself who was hospitalized as a result.

The police discovered 5.45 mm cartridges, magazine cases for a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a cartridge carrier during a search of Kapustin's apartment located in the town of Slobozya, the southernmost town of Pridnestrovie. Normally known for sports, Slobozya is home to a large number of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians, and played an important role in the country's declaration of independence in 1990.

Kapustin, then 49, was arrested on 16 August 2006. The court trial began in December 2006.

Sergei Kapustin, sentenced to 20 years for grenade explosion which killed 2

Former independence fighter

Sergei Kapustin has a previously clean criminal record and has not previously been involved in any illegal activities. The two grenades, as well as other items found in his home, date back from his participation in the 1992 Independence War when he served in the people's militia and fought for independence on behalf of Pridnestrovie; repelling military forces from Moldova that crossed the Dniester river in an effort to enforce a territorial claim. Historically, the mostly Slav-inhabited Pridnestrovie has never been part of an independent Moldovan state at any time in history, and residents overwhelmingly support independence.

The prosecution asked for the law's maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment to be given to Kapustin. Capital punishment is no longer in use in Pridnestrovie, and there is no such thing as a life sentence under local law.

Before closing statements in the trial, Sergei Kapustin hid his face with a sweater and asked the court to turn off all TV cameras. The judges agreed to his request, and ordered TV cameras to be turned off.

Kapustin then faced the families of the victims, apologized to his victims and their families, and told them that the homemade explosive device went off by accident. "It was never my intent to kill anyone," he said.

Death penalty not in use in Transdnestr

Addressing to the court, he subsequently asked for leniency. He said that if he had to face 25 years in the slammer, he'd rather take a bullet:
" - Dear Judge, I offer deep apologies to all the victims for the harm and sorrow that I have caused. I beg forgiveness from all. I would also like to point out that I have collaborated fully with the investigations. Twenty-five years is too harsh a sentence, and in that case I would prefer the firing squad. I do not want my family to suffer. I do not want this. Let the verdict be harsh, but fair and reasonable."

The death sentence is not in use in Pridnestrovie. The court, taking into account the mitigating circumstances, did not follow the recommendations of the prosecution for the maximum sentence. Instead, Kapustin received 20 years with eligibility for parole.

In addition to the sentence, the court also obliged Kapustin to provide victim restitution. He was ordered to pay 23,000 PMR Rubles (approximately $2,800) to Pridnestrovie's Health Ministry for the treatment of victims, as well as 10,000 PMR Rubles (approximately $1,200) to the local trolleybus authorities for damage caused to city bus #226.

Pridnestrovie, which is called Transnistria in Romanian, declared independence in September 1990.
Fully independent from Moldova, it has functioned as a 'de facto' sovereign state for nearly 17 years. It has its own court system and criminal code, and its own police and other law enforcement organs. A socially coheren society, crime is low and most crimes are solved. In 2006, local police reported a 81% successful investigation rate for solving crimes committed within the country's borders. (With information from RIA Novosti)

See also:
» New bus explosion in Tiraspol leaves one dead, eleven injured
» Second victim, girl of 6, dies from injuries following bus explosion

On the web:
» Video: Tiraspol trolleybus bombing, 13 August 2006