Police refuse to disclose location of child's mother in nationwide search

Police located a French father and his one-year-old child on Tuesday, who had been missing across Estonia since 29 May. The child's mother remains unaware of her daughter's whereabouts, as police refuse to disclose the information at the father's request. A bar association lawyer questions whether police can legally act this way.

Estonian police located a French father and his approximately one-year-old child on Tuesday, who had been missing across Estonia since 29 May, when they departed from the child's mother. Despite finding the child, the mother remains in the dark — she does not know where her daughter is.

According to the mother, police refuse to disclose her daughter's location, citing the child's father's wish. This has left the mother in a desperate situation, unable to verify her child's welfare or whereabouts, despite the child being under two years old.

However, a bar association lawyer who spoke with ERR has cast serious doubt on the police's actions. In the lawyer's assessment, it is unclear how police can legally refuse to provide this information to the mother, given that both parents generally have equal rights to information about their child unless a court has ruled otherwise.

The case raises significant questions about parental rights and child protection in situations where parents live separately. Under Estonian law, both parents generally have the right to receive information about their child, which is why the police's conduct remains puzzling to many.

Reflect.ee is investigating the case further and has contacted police for comment.