Armenian Times: Names of Institutions Involved in Illegal Adoptions Revealed; 76 Children Adopted

The Armenian Times has learned which maternity and childcare institutions were involved in the illegal adoption process of children.

On November 14, the National Security Service of Armenia released a statement indicating that citizens of Italy had illegally adopted more than 30 children in Armenia, violating the country’s legislation. Two Armenian citizens organized these adoptions illegally, exploiting their connections within a republican maternity institution, as well as various government departments and orphanages.

According to the NSS report, employees of the maternity institution intentionally and for financial gain obtained agreements for child adoptions. They coerced over a dozen women who sought termination of their pregnancies between 2016 and 2018 through intimidation and psychological pressure, such as exaggerating the newborn's potential health issues and using false information to convince these women to relinquish their newborns for adoption.

In some instances, the maternity staff even accepted bribes for medical services rendered to the mothers. The maternity institution implicated, according to our sources, is the Institute of Perinatology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology (Republican Maternity Hospital), while the institutions that provided false medical diagnoses and obstructed the adoption processes for Armenian citizens were the “Yerevan Children’s Home” and the “Gyumri Children’s Home”.

Officials from the Republican Maternity Hospital were evasive when approached for comments regarding the incidents. The receptionist working with Director Razmik Abrahamyan, upon learning we were journalists, hurriedly informed us that Abrahamyan was very busy and not present at the moment. She subsequently directed us to Abrahamyan’s daughter, obstetrician Gohar Abrahamyan, but when we arrived at her office, we found the door was locked. After a few hours of navigating the buildings, we were eventually approached by Varduhi Simonian, the PR officer at the Republican Maternity Hospital.

Simonian did not deny that NSS officials had been on-site for an extended period, conducting investigations that were later summarized in the known report. However, she asserted that checks had been carried out in all republican maternity hospitals and quickly added that she would not comment until the investigation was complete. She urged for no further sensationalism regarding the matter.

Later, the Armenian Times managed to speak with Razmik Abrahamyan. He, not fully hearing our question, insisted that “no maternity center is involved in these matters; it is the orphanages that handle that.” When pressed with information linking his center to these adoption incidents, he denied it, claiming their center had no involvement, stating, “All these processes are conducted by orphanages and government decisions.”

We also visited the “Yerevan Children’s Home,” where Director Liana Karapetyan, who has been in the position for over 22 years, insisted that their orphanage had no involvement in illegal adoptions. She clarified that the orphanage focuses on childcare and does not initiate adoptions. Since 1991, there have been adoptions involving foreign nationals from this center.

She categorically denied any claims in the NSS report that could pertain to them, claiming they do not obstruct the right of Armenian citizens to adopt children in any way.

Former director of the “Gyumri Children’s Home,” Anna Gevorgyan, who held the position from 2015 until June 2019, was surprised by our inquiry and stated she was unaware of the NSS report. She emphasized that regular inspections were conducted at their facility, which is always under scrutiny. Gevorgyan declined to answer further questions and suggested reaching out to the newly appointed Acting Director, Paykar Valesyan.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs provided the Armenian Times with statistics on the number of children adopted from the “Yerevan Children’s Home” and “Gyumri Children’s Home” between 2016 and 2018, for both Armenian and foreign citizens.

In 2016, 30 children were adopted from the “Yerevan Children’s Home” by foreign citizens and 4 by Armenian citizens. That same year, 5 children were adopted from the “Gyumri Children’s Home” by foreign citizens, with no adoptions by Armenian citizens. In 2017, there were 21 adoptions from the “Yerevan Children’s Home” by foreign nationals and 12 by local citizens, while the “Gyumri Children’s Home” had only 1 foreign adoption. In 2018, 17 children were adopted from the “Yerevan Children’s Home” by foreign citizens and 12 by Armenian citizens, while 2 children were adopted from the “Gyumri Children’s Home,” both by foreign citizens.

Overall, from 2016 to 2018, foreign citizens adopted 76 children from these two institutions: 68 from the “Yerevan Children’s Home” and 8 from the “Gyumri Children’s Home.” According to Sona Martirosyan, head of the Ministry’s press service, statistics indicate that in recent years, the largest proportion of foreigners adopting children from Armenia comes from Italy.