You can only kidnap your children in Russia

This article (in Russian) was on the site of pravda.ru. I translated it into English. The opinions in this article are not mine, but it is important that they be aired. The original is found at

http://www.pravda.ru/society/how/defendrights/28-12-2010/1062203-salonen-0/

Russians living abroad are completely without rights, and of this there are many examples. We meet the demands of other nations, allowing people to be extradicted whatever their crimes, but we are powerless to protect the citizens of our own country: pilot Constantin Yaroshenko, Rimma Salonen and the last example - Aziza Mirzoeva, who is now in an American prison.

The story of Aziza Mirzoeva is mysterious. She was arrested in the summer, but she still does not know if she is charged with a crime, and if she is, then on what basis.

Until recently Aziza was married to citizen of Tajikistan Tohir Mirzoev, and they had two sons. The boys were born in United States and by law are American citizens.

When the couple applied for divorce, the American court gave the children to Aziza. After this, with agreement of Tohir, she went with the children to Canada, and then, by her own choice, to Russia.

For some time she lived in Tajikistan, where the local court also granted the divorce and left the children with their mother.

According to Mirzoeva, she was never in hiding, and the father of the boys could find the children himself, but he chose a different path. Through the same American court Tahir got custody over the children and began an international search through FBI and Interpol.

Aziza and her son were "accepted" in Germany, where she attended a medical school. She spent three months in a German prison, and after this she was extradicted into US, where she has been for a month.

According to "Vesti," 26th of December was the deadline by which the American court had to present charges to Aziza. Whether this condition has been met, is unknown.

Mirzoeva is certain that the court does not have the right to make a decision about the children's custody without her present, and that the case has been politicized. In any scenario, she is facing a long term for "kidnapping" her children, even in spite of the fact that her husband, before he was given the custody of the sons, stated that he did not have any problems with his ex-wife.

The story of Aziza Mirzoeva once again confirms that our citizens are totally powerless before the laws of foreign countries. In USA there are more cases in which American parents, most typically fathers, take children out of Russia without their mothers' permission pursuant decisions made by American courts.

On the other hand, in our country there still is not such a crime as a parent kidnapping one's own child and fleeing the county.

Furthermore, we are not able to protect our citizens who have gotten into trouble abroad. Irina Belenkaya and Rimma Salonen came before foreign courts for kidnapping their children, while their exes came out untouched, although they committed the same crime in Russia.

These sad statistics touch not only the marital disagreements but also more serious crimes. Victor But and Constantin Yaroshenko will answer before foreign courts, while the German diplomat Tomas Hobert, who shot to death two students in Moscow, was let off with a light sentence, namely a nominal jail term and a 10,000 Euro fine. Furthermore, Hobert categorically refused to pay the fine, stating that he did not have the money, even though he shot the students while driving a Porsche Cayenne.

There is not even a talk of any kind of justice: it's not enough that Hobert got the lightest possible sentence under the circumstance (a year in jail and license suspension for one month), but the mother of one of the victims got a letter stating that the decision of the court is final and that she does not have the right to apply for monetary compensation in any German court.

Throughout history the terms have been dictated by the most arrogant countries, and Russia cannot stand up for the rights of its own citizens. Perhaps it behooves our government to act in the same way in order that our citizens can live more peacefully?