Chelyabinsk Third-Graders Sent to Juvenile Detention Center

On January 30, the Traktorozavodsky District Court of Chelyabinsk ruled to place two third-graders in a Center for Temporary Detention of Juvenile Offenders for 30 days. The boys are accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old gymnasium student.

The head of the Traktorozavodsky police department filed the request for the students« isolation. The court hearings were held in closed session.

The court explained: «The justification for the petitions stated that the minors are on preventive registration at the juvenile affairs unit as individuals who committed a socially dangerous act before reaching the age of criminal responsibility. They require comprehensive preventive work from the agencies of the system for preventing neglect and juvenile delinquency.»

Representatives of the accused and their parents objected to the placement in the center, but the prosecutor supported the police«s petition. After reviewing the materials, the judge granted the request.

The decision has not yet entered into force; the families have the right to appeal.

The incident in question occurred in September 2023 at one of Chelyabinsk«s gymnasiums. The mother of the victim child spent several months trying to hold the offenders accountable, but due to their age, a criminal case could not be initiated. In January, the woman decided to bring the story to public attention. As a result, a criminal case was initiated under the article on negligence against unidentified employees of the educational institution. The investigation was taken under control by the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, and the materials were transferred to the department for investigating particularly important cases of the regional directorate of the Investigative Committee (IC).