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No requests on violation of adopted Russian children’s rights made to US

Russia's Investigative Committee reported on Thursday that it had launched a criminal investigation into the trade of children

© ITAR-TASS/Alexandra Mudrats

WASHINGTON, December 06. /ITAR-TASS/. The U.S. Department of State has received no requests from Russia about violation of rights of adopted Russian children revealed recently by a Reuters news agency investigation, the department's press office told Itar-Tass.

Russia's Investigative Committee reported on Thursday that it had launched a criminal investigation into the trade of children, including children adopted from Russia, in the United States.

In late November, after the Reuters investigation, committee head Alexander Bastrykin was reported to have sent an official letter requesting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to inquire into violations of 26 Russian children’s rights.

The Department of Justice press office declined to comment on the issue and referred Itar-Tass to the Department of State, which said a Russian request had not been seen. Whether this means the letter has not yet reached the addressee remains unclear.

Asked whether it was customary for U.S. authorities to react to such journalistic investigations, the Department of Justice remained silent. The Department of State gave an assurance that the U.S. government was serious about the well-being of all children.

An employee of the Department of State’s press office said it was deeply concerned about the reports and remained determined to ensure protection services and guarantees for children's well-being.

The Department of State was coordinating efforts with other departments and agencies interested in adoption processes to assemble details of resources for families to obtain services where they lived, the official said.

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