The case of discrediting was complicated by the escape - Newspaper Kommersant No. 53 (7498) dated 03/29/2023
The Efremov Interdistrict Court of the Tula Region found 53-year-old Aleksey Moskalev guilty of repeatedly discrediting the army (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He was sentenced to two years in prison for five anti-war publications in Odnoklassniki. Mr. Moskalev previously stated during the process that he had nothing to do with publications and asked to return his daughter to him (13-year-old Masha has been in an orphanage since her father was arrested on March 1; he is raising his daughter alone). On the announcement of the verdict on Tuesday, Mr. Moskalev did not appear, the regional department of the Federal Penitentiary Service told Kommersant that he had escaped from house arrest. Lawyer Vladimir Bilienko told Kommersant that he did not find the daughter of the convict in the orphanage on Tuesday, the child "allegedly was taken to a culinary competition."
The case of single father Alexei Moskalev from the Tula region received public outcry in March, when the man was arrested on charges of repeatedly discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. Then it turned out that his 13-year-old daughter Masha, back in April 2022, drew an anti-war drawing at an art lesson. Since then, the police have been “looking after” the family, lawyer Vladimir Bilienko told Kommersant. Having found anti-war posts on the page of Alexei Moskalev in Odnoklassniki, the police charged the man with an administrative article on discrediting, the court fined him 32 thousand rubles.
By the end of December 2022, a criminal case had already been initiated. All this time, Masha did not attend school. According to the defense, she herself asked her father about this, as she was afraid of the police and FSB officers who came to the school.
March 1, 2023 Alexey arrested and placed under house arrest, and Masha was transferred to the Efremov rehabilitation center for minors.
Since then, according to lawyer Bilienko and local deputy Olga Podolskaya, father and daughter have not communicated. The lawyer, as Kommersant reported, sent complaints about violations of the rights of the child to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Investigative Committee. Social Security, in turn, went to court with a lawsuit to limit the parental rights of Alexei Moskalev, pointing out that "the child may be in danger" when living with his father. The court on restriction of rights is scheduled for April 6.
On Monday, March 27, the Efremovskiy District Court considered the criminal case against Mr. Moskalev in six hours, interviewed witnesses (including the director of the school where Masha studies) and heard the arguments of the parties. The representative of the prosecutor’s office pointed out that the man, “realizing criminal intent” and “desiring the onset of socially dangerous consequences”, published five posts on Odnoklassniki criticizing the SVO - four of them on July 29, 2022 and one on July 30, 2022. Mr. Moskalev stated that he had nothing to do with these publications, asked to meet with his daughter and emphasized that he “did not write insults.”
The announcement of the verdict, scheduled for March 28, took place without the defendant.
Employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service did not bring him to court, as he "repeatedly violated the established ban," Kommersant was told in the regional department of the department. For the first time, Aleksey Moskalev violated the rules of house arrest on the night of March 15, Margarita Rimar, head of the press service of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Tula Region, explained - while the defense of Mr. Moskalev claims that there was no violation, but there was a technical error of control by the department. “On March 28, at 4:41, the accused repeatedly violated the established ban, which was also recorded by the means of supervision and control of the SEMPL,” said Ms. . Measures are being taken to establish the whereabouts of the accused.
Lawyer Vladimir Biliyenko said that he "has no connection" with the client, about whose escape "the defense learned from the press service of the court."
On Tuesday afternoon, for the first time since March 1, Mr. Biliyenko was allowed into the territory of the rehabilitation center where Masha Moskaleva is kept, "however, the child was not there." “The director of the center gave me Masha’s drawings and crafts for her father, but said that the girl was allegedly taken to a culinary competition,” he said. Whether Masha returned is unknown. Ephraim deputy Olga Podolskaya told Kommersant that her requests and calls from the social services are being ignored. The administration of the rehabilitation center and the office of the Ombudsman for Children in the Tula Region did not answer numerous telephone calls from Kommersant. On Tuesday evening, the interlocutor of Kommersant, who was familiar with the situation, said that Masha Moskaleva had returned to the rehabilitation center.
