Russian Cops Expose Corruption on YouTube
Before the fall of the Soviet Union "complainers" like Dymovsky were often locked up in psychiatric hospitals.
When Russian policeman Maj. Alexey Dymovsky went on YouTube to expose corruption and air his grievances, he was fired and threatened with legal action. But according to media reports, the video got nearly a million hits and other Russian police officers followed suit with their own stories. Dymovsky appealed directly to President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin, bypassing the chain of command and earning him the enmity of former colleagues and officials. According to a BBC story, police corruption is widespread in Russia with trumped up charges, planted evidence and bribes among a long list of abuses. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, said the BBC, "complainers" like Dymovsky were often locked up in psychiatric hospitals, so whistleblowing has no Russian tradition, and the Internet is one of the few venues in which to expose corruption.
