Amnesty International: Russia Targets Children and Their Parents Due to Opposition to the War

Amnesty International states that Russian authorities are increasingly targeting children and their families due to opposition to the Kremlin and its invasion of Ukraine. In a report released on Friday, June 1, the human rights group noted that following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has intensified its crackdown on dissent, using children to exert pressure on their parents, threatening to revoke parental rights, or sending children to institutions. According to Amnesty International, some parents have been forced to flee Russia with their children to avoid separation. Oleg Kuzlovsky, a researcher for Amnesty International in Russia, stated, 'Despite all of the Kremlin's talk about family values, the bond between children and their parents is shamelessly exploited to suppress dissent.' He added, 'In this politically motivated attack on children, schools and teachers have become tools for government harassment and arbitrary intervention.' The report mentions that 10-year-old Varvara Galkina was interrogated by Russian police in October 2022 due to her WhatsApp profile picture, which featured a drawing in support of Ukraine. Moscow police threatened her mother, Elena Yulikor, and searched their home. Fearing police persecution, the mother and her two daughters had to leave the country. She told Amnesty International, 'I didn't want my children to live a double life and pretend to agree with the government or support the war.' Amnesty International also referenced another case where police in the Ulan-Ude region of Eastern Siberia arrested Natalia Filonova, an opposition activist, during a protest in September 2022. After several months of house arrest, she was temporarily detained while her disabled son, Vladimir Alalikhin, then 16, was sent to a children's home. Ms. Filonova was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison in August 2023. Amnesty International reports that her son remained in the orphanage and complained of being bullied by other children. The human rights organization noted that in none of the cases it has been informed about have children's rights commissions intervened to challenge the politically motivated abuse and torture of children or to support their freedom of expression rights. The report states that after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities established 'patriotism classes' in primary and secondary schools. According to Amnesty International, in these patriotism classes held for six- and seven-year-olds, teachers were instructed to promote feelings of joy and celebration related to the tenth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea to Russia. The organization has urged Russian authorities to respect children's rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and to ensure that these children can exercise these rights without fear of punishment. Amnesty International has also emphasized that Moscow must refrain from restricting or revoking parental rights and sending children to orphanages as a form of punishment. Furthermore, social services and children's rights commissions should act in their favor and adhere to international human rights laws.