A Russian couple living in Estonia have had their custodial rights restricted and their daughter taken into care after social services said their child’s living conditions were unsanitary, Estonia’s ERR news outlet reported.
An Estonian social worker told the Harju county court that district services had attempted for eight years to “improve the situation with the family.”
“Still, the father continues to deny any problems” the social worker said, “while the mother doesn’t strive to make changes.”
The decision stirred controversy in Russia, where speculation circulated that the ruling was politically motivated.
Violetta Volkova, the defense lawyer, told the TASS news agency that Estonian custody services were trying to bar the parents’ attempt to send the daughter to Moscow with her mother.
Volkova said the decision reflected the “fact of oppression of the Russian-speaking population in Estonia.”