TALLINN, Estonia: Alexei Moskalyov, who fled house arrest after being sentenced to 2 years in jail for discrediting Russia in social media posts, has been arrested.
“He has been detained, sure,” lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov was quoted as saying by Reuters, with out offering extra particulars.
Alexei Moskalyov was sentenced to 2 years in jail as punishment for his criticism of Kremlin insurance policies in social media posts. Police investigated him after his 13-year-old daughter, Maria, refused to take part in a patriotic class at her faculty and made drawings exhibiting rockets being fired at a household standing below a Ukrainian flag and one other that mentioned “Glory to Ukraine!”
Russia’s prosecution of Alexei Moskalyov elicited outrage from the European Union on Wednesday. He was convicted of discrediting the Russian military and sentenced to 2 years in jail in his hometown of Yefremov on Tuesday in a case that has grabbed worldwide consideration and underscored the depth of the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent in opposition to the struggle in Ukraine.
European Commission spokesman Peter Stano tweeted that Moskalyov’s sentence was “a complete shame.” Earlier this month, he mentioned the prosecution of Moskalyov represented political repression reaching “new ranges,” akin to what occurred within the Soviet Union below Josef Stalin.
Russia “ought to respect its personal structure” and worldwide “obligations as an alternative of punishing youngsters & mother and father for political causes,” Stano wrote.
Moskalyov, 54, was charged over social media posts criticizing the invasion below a regulation adopted shortly after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. During his one-day trial, which concluded Monday, he insisted he had nothing to do with the posts.
According to his lawyer and supporters, Moskalyov’s troubles started after his daughter Maria, now 13, drew an antiwar image at Yefremov School No. 9 that depicted missiles flying over a Russian flag at a girl and little one and mentioned “No to struggle” and “Glory to Ukraine,” in accordance with his lawyer and his supporters.
The faculty referred to as the police, the woman was questioned and Moskalyov was fined for important feedback on social media. His house was raided in December and a legal case was opened in opposition to him. He was positioned below house arrest and his daughter was positioned into the orphanage.
Moskalyov had been below house arrest in his house within the city south of Moscow, however he escaped earlier than the decision was introduced.
He has been declared a political prisoner by Memorial, one in every of Russia’s oldest and most outstanding rights teams that gained the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
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Another outstanding rights group — OVD-Info — has supplied Moskalyov with a lawyer and mentioned it will proceed to defend him and his daughter each on the costs of discrediting the military and on the difficulty of parental rights.
A courtroom in Yefremov subsequent week is predicted to contemplate the authorities’ petition to limit Moskalyov’s parental rights.
His supporters mentioned father and daughter love one another, and Maria referred to as him “my hero” in a letter she wrote for him in an orphanage, in accordance with Moskalyov’s lawyer who visited the ability on Tuesday. Moskalyov has been elevating Maria alone for about 10 years.
(With inputs from AP)
