Russian judge closes negligent homicide case against mother who refused to treat her HIV-infected infant

A court in Tyumen has closed the case against a 34-year-old woman charged with the negligent homicide of her two-year-old daughter. The infant died of AIDS in April after her mother refused to treat her for the HIV infection she passed onto her.

A so-called “HIV dissident,” the mother denies that HIV exists and refuses to treat herself for the disease, as well. She blames her daughter’s illness on a supposedly botched hepatitis vaccination, and tried to treat her daughter with homeopathic medicines.

The judge closed the case after the defendant and her spouse reconciled in court. Prosecutors advised against this decision, arguing that the child’s life could have been saved or at least vastly prolonged, had she received proper medical treatment for HIV. The district attorney has 10 days to appeal the court’s decision.