The New Black

Putin signs ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children | Reuters

More of this political tit-for-tat probably goes on than I'm aware of. But it seems so petty! Playing with families' lives and emotions. And the US sanction this ban was based on was entirely reasonable, from what I can tell.

Discuss.

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"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

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legends

I have to read more about the US bill that prompted this, because I'm really not understanding the reasoning here.

I've become more and more uncomfortable with international adoptions recently, so when I first heard about this I assumed it was in response to certain issues that have made news regarding Americans adopting children from overseas. While I think it's generally a very good thing for countries to be extremely particular about where their children get sent, that Putin's is doing this as a political move--essentially holding orphaned children hostage--is absolutely not okay.

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curlypearl

I'm very pro adoption regardless of the nationality, etc. My cousins have successfully adopted foreign born children with a happy outcome for all concerned. I know there have been problems but this seems like a political maneuver. Very bad and shame on Putin.

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goldencurly

My nephew was adopted from Russia. I cannot image life without him!

I will have to read more . . . . . .

yossarian

The US had a law (the Jackson-Vanik Amendment) banning trade with all countries that did not allow their citizens to leave. It was intended to target communist states like the Soviet Union.

Russia just joined the World Trade Organization in August (largely due to the support of the US), so Congress had to repeal the the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and replace it with a law establishing normal trade relations with Russia. Some members felt that the new law should be conditional on respect for human rights, so they included provisions that would deny visas to any foreign persons accused of human rights abuses, and freezing their assets in the US (i.e., bank accounts), if any. To drive the point home, they named the bill the Sergei Magnitsky Act, after a Russian lawyer who was tortured to death in a Russian prison after accusing Putin's government of corruption.

International human rights and humanitarian law is a particular interest of mine, so I have no problem with the law. Putin's regime has been responsible for the murder of an incredible number of courageous journalists, lawyers and other dissidents, and I don't believe that countries that deny basic freedoms should be rewarded.

Some of you may be familiar with Anna Politkovskaya, who was gunned down in briad daylight after reporting on the brutal war in Chechnya, or Aleksandr Litvinenko, a former KGB agent who died from radiation poisoning in London after openly criticizing Putin's government. Two foreign policy experts died under mysterious circumstances within days after appearing in a Dateline NBC segment about Litvinenko's murder. Journalist Ivan Safronov "fell" from his apartment window to his death. And on and on and on ...

Unfortunately, I think the United States has committed so many human rights violations over the past decade that we no longer have the high moral ground. The only difference is that Putin's crimes are against his own people, whereas ours are outside of our borders. So I'm personally torn over this issue. And the worst thing is that the children suffer the consequences of a geopolitical game.

The New Black

Thanks for that breakdown. You are a wealth of information!

But I thought the Magnitsky sanctions barred entry to anyone suspected of involvement with his death?

__________________
No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242

yossarian

Yes, that's the "deny visas to any foreign persons accused of human rights abuses" part. A list of individuals who are believed to be complicit in his murder cannot enter the US.

The New Black

I see now...^^

__________________
No MAS.

I am the new Black.

"HIV is a complex mother. Trust me I've written multiple papers and even a rap song about it." Murrcat aka Turtles

"Hope the Mail are saving space tomorrow for Samantha Brick's reaction piece on the reactions to her piece about the reactions to her piece." ~ Tweet reposted by Rou.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kimshi4242

Amneris

The bulk of international adoptions go to the US, and there is growing concern about US adoptive parents. And neither Russia nor the US are shining examples of respect for human rights. I disagree with the position that the US doesn't violate human rights within its own borders. It's within and without for the US and mostly just within for Russia.

I think international adoptions need to be much more scrutinized and restricted than they are. The rights of children are not safeguarded as much as I'd like to see in the process. So whether or not this is a political decision, I don't disagree with the result.

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