MOSCOW, July 6 - RAPSI. Forty three individuals - Russian academics and cultural workers - submitted an open letter to the president, government and parliament in which they speak against the implementation of a new juvenile justice system, Izvestia daily reported on Friday.

In the letter they call the system a "controlling institute of repression," which will threaten the traditional Russian understanding of the family and will result in the decrease of the birth rate.

The signatories believe that implementing the system will result in irrevocable social, cultural and moral consequences.

The specialized judicial system for the protection of juveniles' rights in Russia is currently in its preparatory stage. At the moment, around 10 courts have a specialized panel for dealing with juveniles. During the last few years, numerous discussions have been held on the pros and cons of setting up this kind of system. Its opponents claim that children will be taken away from their parents under various pretexts more often.

One of the system's main problems is that it takes no account of Russian cultural and historical traditions, believes one of the petitioners.