Grad student detained in Russia for buying $30 in coins from street vendor

[proud2BlibKansan]

Hearing set in Russia for Missouri grad student detained since June
The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS | Friends and supports of a University of Missouri-St. Louis graduate student detained in Russia since June are encouraged that a court date has been set for the woman.

Roxana Contreras purchased old currency and medals from a street vendor, in violation of Russian law that she was apparently unaware of. Customs agents removed the items from her luggage at an airport on June 14 as she was preparing to return to the United States. Legal documents from Russia said Contreras was in possession of six medals, three ruble bills and a ruble coin.

Though the items were valued at only about $30, the offense carries a prison term of up to seven years.

Supporters learned Wednesday that a court date has been set for Aug. 28 in Ramon, Russia.

more . . . http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/243850.html

[YOY]

1. Nationalism requires foreign victims to break stupid laws to work!

n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

2. Can Anyone Provide Background On Why Buying That Is Illegal? What's The Backstory?

I don't get why being in possession of old currency means anything. Anyone know more about it?

[knitter4democracy]

3. Russia's cracked down on that sort of thing.

Westerners have been buying up Russian antiques and artifacts and then selling them for much, much more back home, and it's been ticking the Russians off. When I was there in college in 1995, they were talking about making it all illegal, and it looks like they have. At the time, people were selling antique cross necklaces and icons that were illegal for non-Russians to purchase, let alone take out of the country. I had to explain the cross necklace I was wearing at customs at the St. Pete airport and show that it was made in Texas.

I hate to say it, but she should've known about the laws. Was she there with a group or anything like a tour or study program? The person in charge would've told her about it.

[Richard Steele]

4. I think it's a fringe area of their "national treasures" law.

Although the law was primarily intended to prevent the
country from losing important and valuable items of
historical significance, it's written so broadly that
it also applies to common things like old coins and medals.

[Igel]

6. My wife would have been in trouble--maybe minor, maybe not,

depends on the people involved--had they searched her luggage as she left Russia.

She dared to smuggle books--a couple of dialect atlases, some dictionaries. Seems they're considered important for Russian scholarship and their export is tightly controlled.

The little matter that you could buy the dialect atlases in the US for a few hundred dollars, while they cost $15 in Russia if you knew where to get them at all, surely has nothing to do with it.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

5. Russian grad student imprisoned in US for buying small bag of harmless plant material..

Sounds even stupider, doesn't it?