Russian authorities summon nine-year-old and 10-year-old for questioning in ‘discreditation’ case against their mother

Authorities in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region summoned a nine-year-old and a 10-year-old for questioning as witnesses in a criminal case against their mother, lawyer Lidia Prudovskaya, who is charged with “discrediting” the Russian army.

According to the website Advokatskaya Ulitsa, the interrogations took place on July 31. The children were reportedly questioned separately for about 15 minutes each and were informed of their right against self-incrimination ahead of time.

After the questioning, Prudovskaya said, the children did not say that investigators pressured them, but her daughter was extremely frightened and asked not to be interrogated again.

Lawyers who spoke to Advokatskaya Ulitsa said that the interrogation itself was conducted in a lawful manner but was an unusual escalation. Lawyer Mari Davtyan warned that the practice of questioning children could “become the norm in ‘political’ cases” in Russia.

Prudovskaya said she fears the Russian authorities might use her charges as a pretext for taking away her 10-year-old son, who she adopted. “I can’t imagine what they might think up as an excuse to take him, but since the laws in this country aren’t followed very closely, I’m concerned that they might take advantage [of the criminal case],” she said.