Children as instrument of blackmail

Pickets against the so-called “Anti-Magnitsky Law” took place in the morning of December 19 near the State Duma when temperature dropped 20 below zero. Protesters were outraged by the amendment, which prohibits US citizens to adopt Russian children. Activists stood 50 meters of each other with signs “Do not deprive children of a chance to have a family,” “The interests of homeless children are more important than the interests of the rich criminals,” “Give children a chance for a good life,” and “Deputies, take hands off children.” The protesters wanted to encircle the building of the State Duma to be able to, as they wrote on social networks, see the eyes of the deputies. However, the plans of the activists were interrupted by the police officers who simply blocked the pedestrian traffic on Okhotny Ryad in front of the lower chamber of the parliament. In the course of this campaign 30 people were arrested and they might have to pay the fine of 30,000 rubles (about 1,000 dollars).

“Dima Yakovlev Law” is the reaction of the State Duma to the Magnitsky Law in the US and it was adopted in the first reading on December 14. For the second reading the deputies intend to include the amendment for denunciations of the Russian-American agreement and imposing the ban on adoptions of Russian children by American citizens. The bill has already caused controversial reactions both in society and in the Duma.

The amendment that bans adoptions of Russian children by American citizens, approved by the State Duma Committee has already outraged three Ministers of the Russian government, as well as the Commissioner for Human Rights.

Dmitry Levanov, head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, expressed his outrage. “This is the kind of ‘an eye for an eye’ logic, but it is wrong because this can hurt our children, who did not find adoptive parents here in Russia,” Livanov wrote in his microblog on Twitter.

Minister for Open Government Mikhail Abyzov also said that the adoption of the amendments “will be a big mistake,” especially if it will be applied to the children with disabilities.

Sergei Lavrov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressed similar opinion. Commenting on plans to ban adoption for American citizens, he said: “This is wrong and I am certain that in the end the State Duma will make a balanced decision.” According to Lavrov, “international adoption as an institution has a right to exist, the main thing is that it should be done in a civilized manner.”

Many prominent journalists collect signatures under a letter to President Putin. The letter, which has been signed by over 800 people, argues that the proposed regulations will affect lives of Russian orphans, most of whom would never receive adequate medical support and care in Russia. “We believe that sacrificing lives of those children is a crime, it violates their rights and is an unmotivated, cruel, immoral, and wicked step,” reads the statement. The authors of the petition, including Svetlana Sorokina, Elena Fikhtengolts, and Alexei Fedoseev, also note that “children should not be involved in politics under any circumstances.”

The Day asked Lilia Shevtsova, senior researcher at the Moscow Carnegie Center, to comment on the situation around the adoption of the “Anti-Magnitsky Law” by the State Duma and what does the Kremlin want to achieve by making it impossible for American citizens to adopt children in Russia.

“First, the fact that an amendment was suggested for the Russian ‘Anti-Magnitsky Law,’ which, in fact, makes Russian orphans hostages of the Russian state, indicates that the Kremlin does not have adequate measures to respond to the Americans. Putin’s Kremlin has no way to freeze any US property in Russia, or, say, deny visas to US citizens because there are very few people who want to visit Russia. Actually this law indicates that Putin has no real serious lever of influence on America, on interests of its citizens or the American society.

“At the same time, this amendment and the law expose the nature of the Russian government. Perhaps, no other amendment or law lately has caused such wave of disturbance on the verge of an explosion in online social networks. People are outraged by the very essence of this amendment, which, in fact, in response to the US actions, makes poor Russian children victims.

“It is obvious that the Kremlin has already realized the extent of this disturbance. And at least today the representative of the Kremlin, press secretary of the president, Dmitry Peskov, said that Putin understands the mood of the State Duma and, at the same time, he has quite balanced position. That is why we do not rule out a possibility that this amendment will be adopted. But then after some delay, Putin will find some advisor who will help him realize that this amendment and this law have barbaric meaning. And I do not rule out that he might somehow soften the very focus of this law in the part concerning children.”