Amnesty International has reported that Russian authorities have retaliated against children, particularly those who oppose Russian aggression in Ukraine.

This is what they state in their report.Your children will go to an orphanage’: Children and the Crackdown on Protestse‘, where they state that Russia denies boys and girls their right to freedom of expression, persecutes both minors and their families for dissenting against the war and proceeds to indoctrinate them through war propaganda.

According to Oleg Kozlovsky, Amnesty International’s Russia researcher, “despite the Kremlin’s speech about the value of the family, to quell dissent blatantly resorting to exploiting the bond between minors and their parents“. “In this politically motivated attack against boys and girls, schools and teachers have become tools of persecution and arbitrary interference by the State,” he added.

Furthermore, according to the Amnesty International report, they use them as an instrument to put pressure on adults who oppose the war, particularly by separating families, threatening to withdraw their parental rights, and even placing minors in institutions.

This causes serious consequences such as disorders derived from stress and trauma. Besides, some families are forced to leave the country to avoid criminal prosecution or forced separation from their children. Amnesty International has collected various particular cases regarding these exercises.

Given the serious consequences, from Amnesty International calls for an end to “the practice of trying civilians, especially boys and girls.”in military courts and stop using the judicial system to persecute dissent” in addition to ending “political indoctrination in schools.” They also urge the Russian authorities to respect and protect the rights of boys and girls to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, guaranteeing the enjoyment of these rights without fear of reprisals.