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Ombudsman demands an overturn of the not-guilty verdict in St.Petersburg's pedophile case

Children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhov demanded overturning of the not-guilty verdict for the organizers of a parlor for pedophiles in St.Petersburg

MOSCOW, February 16 (Itar-Tass) — Children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhov demanded overturning of the not-guilty verdict for the organizers of a parlor for pedophiles in St.Petersburg, his press service reported on Thursday.

Astakhov sent telegrams to the Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and chairwoman of St Petersburg City Court Valentina Yepifanova asking them to check the legitimacy and tenability of the verdict for the persons who had been accused of involving children in prostitution.

"The handing down of a not-guilty verdict by St.Petersburg's Vyborg district court for Viktoria Yanison and Andrei Tarasov, accused under Articles 126, 132, and 241 of the Criminal Code causes serious concern. International law classifies such offenses as serious human trafficking crimes," Astakhov noted.

While the state is toughening criminal responsibility for sex crimes against minors, courts pass unjustifiably liberal verdicts in the criminal cases related to sexual violence and sexual exploitation of children.

Such judicial practice strengthens public opinion about pedophiles' impunity and insecurity of the children they have molested, and increases legal nihilism in society, provoking citizens to lynch law.

The scandalous verdict, which caused public resentment was passed in the case against a gang of pimps, which supplied children to pedophiles. The accused were cleared of the charges although they had pleaded guilty.