Russia Children's Ombudsman fired after 4 months

7 Jan 2010 |

‘The Moscow Times’ reports that Children’s Ombudsman Alexei Golovan was dismissed after only four months in office. He was replaced by Pavel Astakhov, a prominent lawyer with no human rights background but a staunch supporter of Putin. Golovan on the other hand made critical remarks during a press conference in December about the deterioration of children’s rights during Putin’s presidency. Opposers of the pilot-phase juvenile justice system see thee change as a victory.