Student from Chile arrested and detained in Russia over Soviet medals

Thanks to stonej in the RCC newsgroup!

id say its her money let take it jeesh i mean if i spent money on somethng in another country im not going to leave it there when i leave.. thats like going and buying a car with cash and just leaving it at the car lot...

The problem is that it is illegal to export old coins and medals -- one of the reasons why the prices for Russian coins have skyrocketed in the past few years. They can import anything to Russia, but the export of the older stuff is prohibited.

ahhh thank god i know my way around an airport xD lol (mum an dad both worked at the airport ) she could have just hid it!!!! or if it was me an my cuzin was with me ill give it 2 him ....his dad is a diplomat so they dont check him eheh , or keep them in a wallet!!!! they dont check your wallets just keep em in the basket thing while u pass the metal detector, or in the non carry on bag .....they only check the bags weight, but again she didnt know it was not allowed ..ahh anyway im off 2 watch rush hour 3 !!!! lol

Not true roaddevil, diplomats are subjectable to checks any times thanks to terrorist laws worldwide. Things in Russia can be maddening - there was a time when you didn't declare what you bring in, if you are found to have let's say a video camera that you didn't declare, it is considered that you are trying to do some sort of illegal business in Russia.

If you actually did buy any electronics in Russia, you will need a receipt to proof that you bought in Russia. Otherwise not only do you get fined but as well as real jail time.

But honestly this is ridiciously mad. With 66 dollars considering the mad Russian market, let's say you buy a 1924 ruble. That's about 20 dollars these days. Medals etc, maybe another 30 and others, not a lot. Do you know how little that is???

Forget that, there isn't much souvenirs to buy in Russia anyways other than vodkas and matroshkas. Good grief, even paintings are prohibited to be brought out of the country Tourism in Russia? Bad idea other than to sightsee.

The persons real crime has not even been discussed at all here, it is that she didn't pay the customs guy his "fee". That is how Russia really works, anything is possible, you can buy anything, antiques, coins, historical objects,a beautiful woman etc. as long as you pay the "fee". I like to simplify it and say it is just the same as in the USA or W. Europe, where you have a tax or a permit fee, but in Russia it is just a lot less official. When you go to court, you make a donation, when you get your passport you make a "gift", want anything done, something has to be given in return. It doesn't make sense in western society, but it is how things have worked in Russia for ages.

I have had to take care of legal stuff there, go to court etc., and everybody gets their "cut". No different than in the USA, except in the USA it is all official and goes to the government etc. instead of an individual for their Dacha on the Black Sea.

Sound very James Bondish. Or perhapse you are a secret oil tycoon scottishmoney?

lol

A few years ago, a friend of mine who was born in France of Russian emigre parents and subsequently moved to the USA and became a citizen, went to Russia as a tourist. She was stopped at the airport in Moscow on her return because she was wearing her baptismal Russian Orthodox cross.
She was not arrested, but the cross, which had been her grandmother's, was literally torn off her neck.
"This belongs to us" the man said.
When she tried to explain where the cross came from, she was told to get on the plane or be charged with smuggling historic Russian artifacts.

The law is clear: everything can enter into Russia, nothing can go out... I bet that the same thing can happen in Greece or Egypt if you are so naive to wear some old local artifacts when you go there...

Fact was the customs guy liked the cross and thought it would be good for his girlfriend. I will be sure to keep my Orthodox cross buried, but it is an old brass one so they might not want it anyway.

It is not an official policy, you have to understand that you are more at the whim of the customs guy than the law. I have had the fortune of coming in or leaving when the customs guys had already met their personal seizure quotas or in the case in Khabarovsk they were "inebriated" already so it didn't matter.

Agreed, never mess around with the authorities there.

When I was in Moscow, I had a policeman stopping me in the Metro station and asked me to pull out my passport and studentcheski bilet. Obviously I look 100% foreign and had a foreign accent and so he started to say, "Do you know that we have the right to charge foreigners etc". I literally went "WHAT".

He backed off after looking at my nationality and the University I was in. Others I heard weren't too lucky. Some were pulled to the Police station for no reason (like mentioned) and unfortunately, these are true stories that come out from Russia to ruin the reputation.

have alot of egyption frnds nvr heard that happen 2 em ......plus egyptions will give u anythin if u pay for it lol they dont care bout how old it is

Same in Russia, everything has a price. When you put away your western thoughts and emotions, it all makes sense. The crazy thing was it could be annoying at times, like it would cost a pack of cigarettes to get something done, or a dollar bill(nyet rublei pazhalusta) but it really does work.

Getting stuff stolen from you by officials is nothing compared to a decade in jail.

The New York Times ran an article about the same arrest today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/world/eu...70&emc=eta1

Guess they were a bit late out of the gate?