Astakhov turns to Russian interior ministry after anti-pedophile struggle activist receives threats
MOSCOW. Aug 18 (Interfax) - Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov has addressed Vladimir Kolokoltsev, head of the Russian interior ministry, in the wake of the threats to life and health received by the Commissioner's volunteer assistant Anna Levchenko who is famous for her battle against pedophiles.
"In connection with the threats received by Levchenko, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov has submitted his motion to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, Vladimir Kolokoltsev," Astakhov's assistant Renat Abdeyev told Interfax on Tuesday.
He recalled that Levchenko has been the head of a non-commercial partnership - the Monitoring centre on identification of hazardous and illicit content - and that recently, "the center has encountered all sorts of resistance to its activities."
"In particular, quite recently, the community opened by the partnership on the VK.com social media site has been blocked, and the website Pedofil.net hacked by perpetrators. Moreover, she and employees of the center have started to get numerous threats concerning their lives and health via social networks, e-mail and by phone," Abdeyev said.
Astakhov considers the threats to be dangerous as, since 2012, following the statements to the police made by the center, more than 100 criminal investigations have been opened and ended up in court, the commissioner's press service said.
"As a result, activities of several banned websites of a pedophile nature have been stopped, the wrongful and disgusting business has been closed. True pedophiles have been given real punishments and real prison sentences," the press service sites Astakhov as saying.