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Russia protests: Moscow couples can keep children - court | Russia protests: Moscow couples can keep children - court |
(about 8 hours later) | |
Courts in Russia have rejected prosecutors' request to strip two couples of parental rights after they took their children to protest rallies. | Courts in Russia have rejected prosecutors' request to strip two couples of parental rights after they took their children to protest rallies. |
Instead, Dmitry and Olga Prokazov, and Petr and Elena Khomskikh were warned. | Instead, Dmitry and Olga Prokazov, and Petr and Elena Khomskikh were warned. |
The prosecutors argued that the two couples had endangered their children's life by bringing them to recent protests in the capital Moscow. | The prosecutors argued that the two couples had endangered their children's life by bringing them to recent protests in the capital Moscow. |
The move had caused outrage in Russia, where a number of people face jail terms for taking part in the rallies. | |
The rallies - some of them unauthorised - have been held regularly since July against the exclusion of most opposition candidates in Moscow's Duma (city parliament) elections scheduled for 8 September. | The rallies - some of them unauthorised - have been held regularly since July against the exclusion of most opposition candidates in Moscow's Duma (city parliament) elections scheduled for 8 September. |
Thousands of people have been detained, and riot police have been accused of a brutal crackdown on demonstrators. | |
What about the courts' rulings? | What about the courts' rulings? |
On Monday, the verdicts were issued by Moscow courts in what were two separate cases. | On Monday, the verdicts were issued by Moscow courts in what were two separate cases. |
Both the Khomskikh and the Prokazov couples received a formal warning. | Both the Khomskikh and the Prokazov couples received a formal warning. |
The courts also said they may still lose custody of their children if they went anywhere near opposition protests. | The courts also said they may still lose custody of their children if they went anywhere near opposition protests. |
Defence lawyers for each of the two families said they would appeal against the rulings. | |
What were the prosecutors' arguments? | What were the prosecutors' arguments? |
In the high-profile Prokazov case, the prosecutors had argued that during an unauthorised rally on 27 July "the parents handed their young child, who was in a helpless state due to his age, to a third person thus endangering the boy's health and life". | In the high-profile Prokazov case, the prosecutors had argued that during an unauthorised rally on 27 July "the parents handed their young child, who was in a helpless state due to his age, to a third person thus endangering the boy's health and life". |
"And so by exploiting the child, the parents abused their parental rights to the detriment of their son's interests," the prosecutors said in a statement last month. | "And so by exploiting the child, the parents abused their parental rights to the detriment of their son's interests," the prosecutors said in a statement last month. |
They also said the child's father had temporary residence in Moscow and therefore did not have a vote in the elections. | They also said the child's father had temporary residence in Moscow and therefore did not have a vote in the elections. |
Dmitry and Olga Prokazov said they had simply been out for a walk when they came upon the protesters. | Dmitry and Olga Prokazov said they had simply been out for a walk when they came upon the protesters. |
They said they had seen their friend Sergey Fomin among a group of protesters and suggested that he leave with them. He agreed and at some point Dmitry gave Sergey the baby to hold. | They said they had seen their friend Sergey Fomin among a group of protesters and suggested that he leave with them. He agreed and at some point Dmitry gave Sergey the baby to hold. |
He described Sergey as his best friend, and said he was his wife's cousin and godfather to his eldest son. | He described Sergey as his best friend, and said he was his wife's cousin and godfather to his eldest son. |
Investigators say that Sergey Fomin - who is being sought by police for taking part in the protests - took someone else's child as a way to get through police encirclement of the demonstrators. | Investigators say that Sergey Fomin - who is being sought by police for taking part in the protests - took someone else's child as a way to get through police encirclement of the demonstrators. |
The Khomskikh case has not received such public attention, and the details emerged much later. | The Khomskikh case has not received such public attention, and the details emerged much later. |
The prosecutors argued that during a protest on 3 August the lives of their two young daughters had been endangered because they were "in close proximity to a large number of aggressively-minded demonstrators". | The prosecutors argued that during a protest on 3 August the lives of their two young daughters had been endangered because they were "in close proximity to a large number of aggressively-minded demonstrators". |
The couple denied this. | The couple denied this. |
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