David Barnes: a father fighting for his kidnapped sons

David’s marriage to his Russian wife, Svetlana, was ending in divorce when she sought to gain extra leverage by making allegations that he assaulted his two young sons. The allegations were investigated by a Texas court and Child Protection Services and found to be false. After the court awarded joint custody, Svetlana fled the country with the boys and brought them to Russia. She currently faces a warrant for her arrest in the US and an Interpol Red Notice for parental kidnapping. When David found them in Russia, he travelled there and sought to visit his sons. Svetlana made the same claims of abuse – without evidence – to a Russian court and David was convicted. The Russian court ignored the fact Svetlana’s claims had twice been investigated and found to be false. It also ignored the fact that Russia did not have any reasonable jurisdiction for the case.