Letter to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (2.6.2011)

Lvov (Ukraine), 2 June 2011

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

Dear representatives of the European Court of Human Rights,

You certainly are all familiar with the appalling case of the Russian actress Natalie Zakharova who was unlawfully deprived of her 3-year-old daughter Masha by the juvenile justice system in France. The mother has claimed her parental rights already for 13 years, demanding that her child should be returned to her. At present, Masha is kept in a wall-type institution at an unknown place on the territory of France.

The French courts staged a trial and sentenced the innocent mother to three years’ imprisonment on the ground that she demanded the return of her daughter. They hypocritically justified it by stating that she allegedly had the intention of setting fire to the apartment of her ex-husband. On 26 May 2011, she was transported to Russia as a prisoner.

We demand:

a) punishment of two French courts:

– for illegal deprivation of Mrs Natalie Zakharova of her parental rights,

– for her illegal imprisonment,

b) punishment of the juvenile court for stealing a child,

c) the immediate return of the stolen daughter Masha Ouari,

d) compensation for 13 years of traumatization and stigmatization of the mother and psychical violence and moral injury in the case of the daughter.

On behalf of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate,

+ Methodius OSBMr         + Timothy OSBMr

Secretaries of the BCP

Cc:

– Presidents of European states and Russia

– Members of the Governments of France and Russia

– Mrs Natalie Zakharova

– Mass media