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Russia Deports Mother Of Tajik Baby Who Died In Police Custody


Zarina Yunusova, 21, says her son was healthy when police took him from her.
Zarina Yunusova, 21, says her son was healthy when police took him from her.

The mother of a baby Tajik boy who died while in Russian custody is being deported to Tajikistan.

The St. Petersburg City Court on November 12 upheld a lower court's decision to deport Zarina Yunusova for violating Russia's laws of migration.

Meanwhile, an investigation by Russian authorities into the death of her son, 5-month-old Umarali Nazarov, is continuing.

The boy died on October 14, a day after his parents were briefly detained and accused of violating immigration rules.

The parents say police officers separated them from their child when they were detained and did not return him when they were released five hours later.

They say police told them the child was sent to a hospital because he was suffering from respiratory problems. They were given the child's body on October 15.

The parents insist their baby was healthy and was not suffering from any illness.

Tajikistan has demanded that Russian authorities investigate the boy's death, which sparked angry protests by Tajik migrants and human rights activists in Russia.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

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