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Appeal to the High Commissioner, Ms. Bachelet

The Indifference of the Swedish Government

From:

Nicolas Cheropoulos
Dansbanevägen 28, 1201
12631 HÄGERSTEN
Sweden

E-Mail: nicolas.cheropoulos@gmail.com

Website: http://actionagainstchildabduction.com/

To:

Ms. Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland

Re: Status of my abducted children at the coronavirus-infected Monastery in Minsk, Belarus

Dear Ms. Bachelet,

My name is Nicolaos Cheropoulos, a citizen of Sweden, and I am writing to you with an urgent plea concerning the welfare and safety of my two daughters, Anthie’ and Alexandra Cheropoulou—both Swedish citizens—who were unlawfully abducted and taken to Belarus by their mother, Ms. Liudmila Trafimovich, a Belarusian national, over three years ago.

Despite my continuous efforts through all available legal channels, including having been granted full custody by a Swedish court, the Belarusian authorities have consistently refused to honor their obligations under international law. Belarus, a state already known for its disregard of democratic norms and international conventions, including human rights treaties, has failed to comply with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. To date, my daughters remain unlawfully retained in Belarus.

Over the past three years, I have endured an ordeal that could fill an entire book. For a more detailed account of this ongoing tragedy, I invite you to visit the website I have created and dedicated to my daughters, as well as to all abducted children and the parents left behind around the world: ActionAgainstChildAbduction.com

The circumstances of their current situation are deeply alarming. After conducting extensive personal investigations—due to a complete lack of information or cooperation from the Belarusian authorities—I discovered only last year (2019) that my daughters were placed, without my knowledge or consent, in the Saint Elisabeth Convent in Minsk (Ulitsa Vygotskogo 6), a secluded and ultra-orthodox Russian religious institution.

This placement not only violates my parental rights but also contravenes Belarus’s own domestic legislation, specifically Article 10 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees minors the right to independently determine their religious beliefs. Furthermore, Belarusian family law stipulates that major decisions regarding a child’s upbringing—including religious instruction—must be made jointly by both parents.

Despite these protections, my former partner unilaterally placed our children in this Monastery, subjecting them to a strict religious environment without their or my consent. They have been enrolled in the Monastery’s religious school and are compelled to live according to an ascetic monastic lifestyle, wholly inappropriate for children. My attempts to contact them have been repeatedly obstructed; I am not permitted to speak with them by phone, and I receive only rare and impersonal replies from their mother.

I have reached out to both Swedish and Belarusian authorities on numerous occasions. Regrettably, neither state has taken meaningful action to uphold the rights of my children or enforce the court decisions already rendered in Sweden. The result is that my daughters are effectively held at the mercy of one parent who disregards both international law and fundamental principles of child welfare.

The St. Elisabeth Monastery Scandal

The situation has become even more critical following the outbreak of COVID-19. The Saint Elisabeth Convent has been publicly reported as a hotspot for the virus. As of last week, local and international media reported that approximately 100 of the 130 nuns at the Convent—over 75%—have contracted the virus, alongside an undisclosed number of priests. Ms. Trafimovich, who works in the Convent as a medical aide, is likely in close contact with infected individuals, thereby placing our daughters at grave risk of exposure.

I enclose a translated annex of media reports confirming the outbreak at the Monastery, as well as background information supporting my claims. I have repeatedly appealed to Swedish authorities for assistance, particularly concerning my daughters’ health status and whereabouts, but I have received no meaningful response. To this day, I do not know who is caring for them, what their current condition is, or when they will be brought to safety.

Source:

The Coronavirus Infection is coming from St. Elisabeth Convent

Given the imminent and severe threat to their lives and well-being, I respectfully urge you, Ms. Bachelet, in your capacity as a global human rights advocate, to intervene in this matter. My daughters are Swedish citizens. They are being denied basic rights, exposed to serious health risks, and isolated from their custodial parent in clear violation of international human rights and family law standards.

I appeal to your office and to the United Nations Human Rights mechanisms for immediate assistance in ensuring their protection and safe return to Sweden.

Should you require any further information or documentation, I would be more than willing to provide it without delay.

With sincere respect and hope,
Nicolaos AA Cheropoulos
Padre di Anthie e Alexandra
Stockholm, April 27, 2020
Revisione ottobre 2023