Russia refuses to let Americans adopt 33 children

(Interfax – ST. PETERSBURG, May 21, 2013) Thirty-three orphans, including 12 disabled children, who were supposed to be adopted by U.S. nationals, will be unable to join their would-be parents because of this year’s Russian ban on the adoption of Russian children by Americans, the office of the St. Petersburg commissioner for children’s rights said on Tuesday.

The commissioner, Svetlana Agapitova, had asked Russia’s Education and Science Ministry to look into the situation where U.S. nationals have already met the children they seek to adopt, the office said in a statement.

The 33 children, who live in orphanages in St. Petersburg, met their would-be adoptive parents before the Dima Yakovlev Law, which contains the ban, came into force, which gave rise to legal disputes.

Agapitova said earlier that the legal uncertainty had not led to the withdrawal of the adoption applications. Three of the candidate adoptive mothers filed suits with the European Court of Human Rights.

Deputy Education and Science Minister Igor Remorenko replied to Agapitova that the Dima Yakovlev Law prevented the regional operations of the national database on parentless children from handing over the 33 children to their would-be adopters.

“One reason for (prohibiting the adoptions) is a change in circumstances that earlier enabled an individual to adopt a child into their family,” the statement said, citing Remorenko.

The deputy minister said the adoption applicants would soon be notified that they are no longer candidate adoptive parents. The children chosen by them would be waiting to be adopted “in keeping with the rules established by Russian legislation.”

[featured image is emblematic file photo of random Russian orphans from unrelated event]

Russia refuses to let Americans adopt 33 children

ST. PETERSBURG. May 21 (Interfax) – Thirty-three orphans, including 12 disabled

children, who were supposed to be adopted by U.S. nationals, will be unable to join

their would-be parents because of this year’s Russian ban on the adoption of Russian

children by Americans, the office of the St. Petersburg commissioner for children’s

rights said on Tuesday.

The commissioner, Svetlana Agapitova, had asked Russia’s Education and Science

Ministry to look into the situation where U.S. nationals have already met the

children they seek to adopt, the office said in a statement.

The 33 children, who live in orphanages in St. Petersburg, met their would-be

adoptive parents before the Dima Yakovlev Law, which contains the ban, came into

force, which gave rise to legal disputes.

Agapitova said earlier that the legal uncertainty had not led to the withdrawal of

the adoption applications. Three of the candidate adoptive mothers filed suits with

the European Court of Human Rights.

Deputy Education and Science Minister Igor Remorenko replied to Agapitova that the

Dima Yakovlev Law prevented the regional operations of the national database on

parentless children from handing over the 33 children to their would-be adopters.

“One reason for (prohibiting the adoptions) is a change in circumstances that earlier

enabled an individual to adopt a child into their family,” the statement said, citing

Remorenko.

The deputy minister said the adoption applicants would soon be notified that they are

no longer candidate adoptive parents. The children chosen by them would be waiting to

be adopted “in keeping with the rules established by Russian legislation.”