ST.PETERSBURG, July 11 - RAPSI. Russian citizen Rimma Salonen is intending to initiate a new case in Finland's court over her son Anton guardianship, the subject of legal disputes with her former husband Paavo Salonen, her official representative Johan Baeckman told RIA Novosti.
"Rimma Salonen is intending to submit her new case to the Pori city court as soon as possible to demand the return of her son Anton," Baeckman said.
Rimma Salonen considers Anton's case to have a political nature as the Finnish authorities do not recognize his Russian citizenship.
Salonen's case was one of the first public scandals over Russian-Finnish children. After Anton Salonen was taken to Russia by his mother, he was then taken back to Finland in the trunk of a diplomat's car three years ago. His father and diplomat Simo Pietilainen escaped criminal liability in Finland. Rimma Salonen was deprived of her parental rights by a Finnish court and received a suspended sentence for abducting her son after her divorce with Paavo. The Russian Foreign Ministry and Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov spared no effort to help Rimma and her son, whose Russian citizenship has not been recognized by Finish authorities.
Paavo Salonen, who abducted his son Anton from Russia, has taken Russia and Astakhov to the European Court of Human Rights to force them to stop commenting on the Anton's case.
Anton is currently living in Finland with his 70-year old father, who is his sole guardian. In June, the Vaasa Appeals Court rejected Rimma Salonen's request for parental custody of her son. According to Baeckman, her former husband insists on Anton having no contact with his mother, despite the right granted to her to see him once a week.