A Russian father who was separated from his daughter after she drew a caricature against the war in Ukraine at school has been able to retain custody of his daughter even though he has been convicted and is in prison, he said on Friday his lawyer in the case that has become a symbol of repression in Russia, reports AFP.
“The complaint in the EU Court regarding Maria’s restriction of parental rights to Oleksiy Moskalyov was withdrawn, and the case is closed,” his lawyer Volodymyr Bilienko told AFP.
“Aleksii will retain parental authority,” he added, thanking “everyone who did not remain indifferent,” including journalists, for putting pressure on the authorities in this story, which shook part of Russian public opinion.
Moskalyov first came to the attention of authorities last year when his 13-year-old daughter drew a picture in class of Russian missiles headed for a woman and a child next to a Ukrainian flag.
The principal of the school contacted the police, who discovered the father’s social media posts in which he criticized offensive actions.
‼️ 12-year-old Russian girl Masha drew a picture in support of Ukraine. The regime authorities beat Masha’s father, stole his savings, detained and sent the girl to an orphanage. 1/6 pic.twitter.com/GC38LbeHXq
— OVD-Info English (@ovdinfo_en) March 1, 2023
54-year-old Oleksiy Moskalyov, who is raising a daughter himself in the town of Efremov, south of Moscow, was later prosecuted and sentenced to two years in prison at the end of March for “discrediting” the military.
A few hours before the sentencing, he violated house arrest and fled to neighboring Belarus, where he was immediately arrested.
Last week, specialized public organization “OVD-Info” announced that he was extradited from Belarus to Russia.
However, his lawyer said on Friday that he still had not been able to find Oleksiy Moskalyov, explaining that he had contacted the pre-trial detention center in Tula, south of Moscow, where his client was supposed to be transferred.
“I was told that he is not there yet. I don’t know where he is now,” said the lawyer.
Since the beginning of March, Moskalyov has been separated from his daughter Maria, who was first placed in a children’s colony, and then, at the beginning of April, entrusted to her mother.
- The unknown side of the story of a Russian man convicted after his daughter made an anti-war cartoon: “He was probably put in a car and taken in the direction of Russia”
Masha Moskalyova, apparently, was reunited with her mother. She has spent the last few weeks in a shelter after police arrested her father during the scandal that erupted last year over her anti-war drawing at school. This program was organized by Maria Lvova-Belova, accused of war crimes. pic.twitter.com/yvvLxqvFCv
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) April 5, 2023
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Source: Hot News
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