Schoolgirl arsonist cites Constitution, refuses testimony

An eighth-grader who set fire to her school in Krasnoyarsk and tried to beat children with a hammer is refusing to give testimony, citing her constitutional right. A source familiar with the situation told NGS24.RU.

On 4 February, at School No. 153 in Krasnoyarsk, a 14-year-old student set fire to a toilet and an algebra classroom, and struck children fleeing the classroom with a hammer.

The school was evacuated. Three students suffered burns, and two girls were injured by hammer blows.

Two criminal cases have been opened against the schoolgirl who set the fire — for storage of products not meeting safety requirements and for attempted murder of two or more persons committed with particular cruelty and in a manner dangerous to the public. The minor spent the night after the attack in a temporary detention center (IVS).

A day earlier — on 3 February — another school attack incident occurred in Kodinsk, a town about 500 km north of Krasnoyarsk. A female student attacked a classmate with a knife during a chemistry lesson.

Interrogation of the suspect began at the school on the same day in the presence of her mother. In published footage, she covers her face with her hand.

However, according to the source of NGS24.RU, as of 5 February, it has not yet been possible to learn the motives of the crime from her. The suspect refuses to testify, citing Article 51 of the Russian Constitution. It allows not to testify against oneself and relatives.

Incidentally, the version that the girl was bullied at school is confirmed only by part of her circle. According to other students, she distanced herself from her classmates on her own. Law enforcement agencies have not officially commented on the suspect«s motives.

For more details about what happened at the school and the reaction to the incident, read the report by NGS24.RU correspondent Alexander Ibragimov. NGS24.RU collects all news about the situation on a dedicated page.