Russia demands explanations from U.S. on fresh child adoption incident
MOSCOW. Sept 26 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has demanded explanations from the United States concerning the situation surrounding the adopted Russian boy Maxim Babayev, who fell victim to home violence.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry was alarmed by reports that underage Maxim Babayev has fallen victim to violence in his adoptive American family," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a commentary.
"We are going to raise this issue during the Russian-American consultations being held in Moscow now on the implementation of the agreement on cooperation in the child adoptions sphere," she writes.
"We demand that the American side provide exhaustive explanations and establish Babayev's whereabouts in order to organize a consular meeting with the boy. We will continue doing all we can to defend his rights and interests," Zakharova said.
Babayev's adoptive parents "were arrested last year in Brevard, Florida, on suspicion of maltreating the adopted son, but the court found them not guilty and closed the case.
"Both child welfare services courts in Florida refused to inform Russian diplomats about details of the case, or about the boy's condition and life," Zakharova said.
"Unfortunately, neither the local authorities, nor the U.S. Department of State, informed the Russian Embassy in Washington about the incident," she said.