The Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the United States for issuing lenient sentences against U.S. citizens convicted of mistreating and killing children adopted from Russia.
Also on Thursday, Moscow region lawmakers announced their support for a State Duma bill that would impose economic and visa sanctions on Americans accused of violating Russians' human rights, Interfax reported.
The bill, widely seen as a response to the recently passed Magnitsky Act that stipulates similar sanctions for Russian officials, is unofficially named after Dmitry Yakovlev, a 2-year-old Russian boy who died in July 2008 due to negligence by his adoptive U.S. father.
On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing U.S. authorities of "connivance and leniency" toward seven U.S. adoptive parents, who were separately convicted of murdering three and torturing four children between August 2005 and October 2011.
The statement said the adoptive parents were either handed short prison terms or released and that such rulings demonstrated the U.S. used a "discriminative approach" and "double standards" against Russian children.
The seven children named by the ministry included Yakovlev, who died after spending nine hours unattended in his father's car in the full blaze of the sun; 3-year-old Darya Moskalenko, who was hospitalized with severe burns and head wounds; and Ivan Skorobogatov, who was beaten and starved to death.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
