Astakhov's excuses

The Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia, Pavel Astakhov, spoke to journalists today and tried to answer all the questions that had accumulated for him.

First of all, Pavel Astakhov invited the public not to draw premature conclusions from the story of a girl who was allegedly thrown off a bus on the Yaroslavskoye Highway in Moscow.

At the same time, Astakhov himself in no way considers his actions premature. He is sure that both he and the Investigative Committee had the right to declare the unknown bus driver guilty, initiate criminal proceedings against him and demand his immediate arrest, without understanding what really happened.

Let us remind you that on Monday, March 11, the mother of 9-year-old Evgenia Melnikova reported her missing - the girl was supposed to come home from the Moscow music school to Mytishchi by bus, but she never showed up, she did not have a phone with her. Closer to midnight, the girl was found - she said that at about 17:00 she was thrown off the bus near the traffic police checkpoint near the Moscow Ring Road for traveling without a ticket, after which she spent 7 hours looking for the nearest railway platform.

Later it turned out that, according to satellite bus tracking systems, none of them stopped at the Moscow Ring Road, some drivers identified the girl as an avid hare, and Evgenia Melnikova herself did not identify her offender among the bus drivers.

As a result, those who watched this whole story suspected that the girl was too confused in her testimony, and the fault for everything was not the mythical bus driver, but the girl’s mother, who let her go alone to the neighboring city.

However, by the time all the details were clarified, Pavel Astakhov managed to write on his Twitter that “It is a matter of honor for law enforcement agencies and all conscientious citizens to find the scoundrel and bring him to justice.” “Those responsible for the incident must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for this inhumane and cruel act. The irresponsibility, indifference and cruelty of adults often becomes the cause of the troubles that happen to our children,” the statement also said.

At a press conference, Pavel Astakhov said that he was not at all interested in money from the federal budget - this is how he responded to the information that appeared that the Ministry of Finance did not like the “Russia without Orphans” program he developed, since it lacks target indicators and no money it requires quite a lot.

“I have always believed that this is the most effective, whatever it is - a campaign, program, action or event with a zero budget. When you have zero in your pocket, you only have ideas, arms, legs, head, and if you have the desire, you will do it. Give a fool a billion, he’ll spend it and good-bye,” he noted.

According to the commissioner, when he was appointed to a government post, he immediately asked to be spared from budget funds, since, according to him, the earnings he earned for his legal practice were quite enough for him. That, however, did not stop the commissioner from asking to be allocated a building in the center of Moscow for the work of the apparatus.

Astakhov also responded to reproaches that his wife had gone abroad to give birth - to the Côte d'Azur of France. “Even if I gave birth to a child somewhere in another country today, what is sedition? In this case, I cared about the safety of my family, the health of my wife and unborn child,” the commissioner said.

Astakhov promised to submit a fresh declaration of income and property on April 1, which will indicate the property rented in France.

Astakhov also warned that if someone sues him and loses the case, he will have to pay for the work of Astakhov’s lawyer. The cost of the services of a defender from the authorized representative, however, is not so high - 50 thousand rubles.

“There is criticism that must be taken into account, but I have never paid attention to various lawsuits, statements, slander, and so on. If they go to court with a lawsuit, please file, but I have a golden rule - whoever lost the trial, the case is against me - put 50 thousand rubles on the table for the services of my lawyer,” Astakhov said and recalled that in September 2012 The Savyolovsky Court of Moscow refused to satisfy the claims of Tori Ann Hansen. She was the adoptive mother of Russian Artem Savelyev and, having decided to abandon him, she sent him alone on a plane to Russia with a letter to the Ministry of Education and Science stating that during the adoption, the boy’s severe psychological problems were hidden from her.

This morning, an open letter from Pavel Astakhov was published on the Ekho Moskvy radio website - a response to a statement by the radio station’s journalist Matvey Ganapolsky that certain forces were organizing a campaign in defense of Astakhov.

In general, it somehow happened that Pavel Astakhov, who not so long ago stood at the head of the fighters against the “pedophile lobby” and almost kept everyone who works with children in fear, has recently been forced to make excuses.

It is worth recognizing that speaking in one’s defense is a rather brave act, because the maxim “if one is justified means one is guilty,” no one has yet canceled it.