In Russia, a single father was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday for posting an anti-war photo of his daughter. Alexei Moskalyov, 54, had escaped from house arrest before the verdict was announced, a court spokeswoman confirmed.
When news of his escape broke, there was applause in the courtroom in the town of Yefremov, south of Moscow. Moskalyov was on trial for “repeatedly discrediting the Russian military”. The case caused a sensation in Russia because the minor daughter was taken to the children’s home because of her photo.
Officially, the allegations against the father revolve around posts on social networks. There he is said to have repeatedly criticized the Russian offensive war against Ukraine. The man (pictured below) denied this, claiming that others gained access to his computer without his knowledge.
Criticizing the military is a criminal offence
During the course of the war, Russia tightened its laws and criminalized criticism of the military. The case started with a picture taken by his daughter during art class: when the teacher asked the children to draw pictures in support of the armed forces in Ukraine, Maria, then only 12 years old, drew a Russian and Ukrainian flag, which she tagged with the slogans “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine”.
The authorities initiated criminal proceedings
The school called the police. Because of this, the father was taken to the police station for the first time a day later and fined. When his daughter’s critical remarks about the war also appeared on the internet in the winter, the authorities searched his house and initiated criminal proceedings. Several women were in court demanding his release. But there were also women who demanded imprisonment.
Observer: staged procedure
Independent media reported from the courtroom about a staged trial with rehearsed incriminating testimony from alleged witnesses. No evidence was provided. The Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky noted that the power apparatus used the father to punish the child, who was not prosecuted according to the law.
Source: Krone
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