Arnon Grunberg

Constitution

Bottle

David M. Herszenhorn in today’s Times about police brutality in Russia:

'Last week, Mr. Krylov, the computer repairman, described in a soft voice how he initially refused to confess to stealing $200.
“I told him I wanted a lawyer and would not give evidence without a lawyer according to Article 51 of the Constitution,” he said. “They laughed and asked how did I know it?” Mr. Krylov, a part-time student of law and criminal justice, told the police that he had a copy of the Constitution in his bag. It did not matter.
Over the two hours of interrogation, Mr. Krylov said, he was knocked off a chair and repeatedly slapped across the face. Then, he said, a police commander threatened to rape him.

The assault began with a pencil, but the commander, Aynur Rakhmatullin, was in a rage. “Where is a bottle? You must always have a bottle around,” the commander shouted at other officers, who found one, Mr. Krylov said.”'

You must always have a bottle around.

There are good reasons to be distrustful of human beings, and there are even better reasons to be distrustful of institutions that try to get rid of the dark impulses of mankind.