courtesy: Kuivpost
A tiny Russian boy of three, adopted by a Texas family, has died amidst allegation of abuse.
The incident has renewed tensions in what is already a frayed relationship that has seen Russia cut off all adoptions to the US, and a swift condemnation of this latest incident.
The little boy died in Texas a month ago. He had been adopted in a Russian orphanage.
What seems to have angered the Russian authorities, are the allegations that the US authorities have not done enough to protect the small child, since several reports of abuse had allegedly been filed against the adoptive mother. The Russian believe that the mother killed the little boy, a death that they deemed avoidable.
In addition, Russia cited the fact that 20 adopted children have died in the US in the past twenty years, although the total number of adopted children from Russia through that period is close to 60,000.
American authorities see Russia's outrage a manifestation of grandstanding, since the whole debacle of interrupting adoptions from Russia did not stem so much from past incidents regarding the fate of the adoptees, but more due to the fact that the US has supported an initiative to sanction Russia for its violation of human rights, as reported by human rights watchdog agencies.
In fact the conditions of some of Russia's prisons are considered the worse in the entire world. In addition, dissident and journalists are treated inhumanely, according to some reports, and the US passed a law to condemn such acts called the Magnistky Act, in honor of an anti-corruption lawyer who was left to die in Russian custody. Magnistky was apparently interrogated and beaten, and he subsequently developed an illness which the Russians refused to treat him for, and he was believed to have died of neglect soon thereafter.
But Russia is defending their statement and actions as true concern for what they see as neglect of their children.
In fact, there have been a handful of clamorous cases in the not so distant past, including an incident in which a mother placed an unwanted child alone on a plane back to Russia with a note pinned on his lapel that said she was returning the child because she no longer wanted him. That mother was found guilty of abandonment and was sentenced to pay upward of 150,000 dollars in support for the child, who is now in Russian custody.
Partial sources: BBC news 2.22.13/daily mail 9/2010
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