> italian investigators have identified three russians who are suspected of being at the heart of the traffic in violent films, which are promoted over the internet and distributed on video cassettes, cds and dvds. > one of them, dimitri ivanov, has reportedly been in prison since september 1999, charged with violence against minors and the distribution of pornographic material. the other two, dimitri kuznetsov and andrei minaev, are said to have benefited from an amnesty passed by the russian parliament. > the investigation began two years ago following a denunciation by a parish priest from the sicilian town of avola, who runs a helpline for abused children. he found evidence of the traffic on the internet. > italian police identified the internet site that promoted the videos and intercepted 3,000 cassettes before they reached purchasers in italy. > the investigators named the russian firms involved in the trade as tim-o-seev video and flower 2. many of the tapes were duplicated and delivered to buyers by police who posed as postmen. those arrested include businessmen and public employees.
United States