Elise André incident explained

The Elise André incident is a tug-of-war of kidnappings of the three-year-old girl Elise André-Belenkaya (Russian: Элиза Андре Беленькая) in a dispute between her parents, father Jean-Michel André and mother Ирина Беленькая, over child custody during 2007–2009.^[1] The girl was abducted and moved across the border at least three times since parents' divorce in 2007.^[2]

The last kidnapping (by mother) was stopped in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary in April 2009 and in May the Hungarian court decided that the mother be extradited to France^[3]

In 2009 there were about 50 child custody disputes between Russia and France aggravated by the fact that Russia is not a signatory of the 1980 Hague convention on civil aspects of child abduction.^[2]

Both parents were granted custody rights from their own countries.^[4]

In 2012 the mother was facing a three-year suspended sentence from a French court in Tarascon for double abduction, in November 2007 and in March 2009.^{[4] [5]} Mother's lawyer asked for a suspended sentence.^[6] Eventually she received two years of sentence suspended for five years.^[7] The Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs concluded that the decision of the French court had been balanced.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Ярослав ГОРБАНЕВСКИЙ, "Родители, будьте людьми! возьмите себя в руки!"
2. Lizzy Davies, Snatched toddler returns to France with father, The Guardian, 14 Apr 2009
3. Web site: Hungarian court orders Elise's mother to be extradited to France . 6 May 2009 . 2024-05-31 . 2024-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240531005542/https://www.france24.com/en/20090506-hungarian-court-orders-elises-mother-be-extradited-france- . live .
4. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2012/10/30/french-prosecutor-requests-3-year-suspended-sentence-for-russian-mother-a18991/pdf French Prosecutor Requests 3-Year Suspended Sentence for Russian Mother
5. Web site: Французский прокурор потребовал три года условно для Ирины Беленькой . 30 October 2012 . 2024-05-31 . 2024-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240531005546/https://rapsinews.ru/international_news/20121030/265176974.html . live .
6. Web site: Адвокат Ирины Беленькой просит суд вынести ей условный приговор . 30 October 2012 . 2024-05-31 . 2020-11-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201125222120/http://www.rapsinews.ru/international_news/20121030/265177842.html . live .
7. Web site: Ирина Беленькая получила два года условно . 30 October 2012 . 2024-05-31 . 2024-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240531005546/https://rapsinews.ru/international_news/20121030/265179446.html . live .
8. https://www.mid.ru/tv/?id=1646589&lang=en Comment of Information and Press Department of MFA of Russia in view of French court’s decision concerning Irina Belenkaya