VIDEO: Police Reveal Cases of Illegal Adoption of Children

The Main Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Police received operational information regarding violations in the field of foreign adoptions. The department's officers undertook extensive operational and investigative measures, analyzing and coordinating information from various sources, which led to the discovery of apparent crimes and gross violations of the law committed by various officials during the adoption process of children from orphanages.

Here are some cases, without disclosing the complete details for the sake of the investigations. In particular, it was found that as early as 2009, certain officials had used a notarized written statement claiming to be from the parent of a child residing in one of the orphanages in Armenia. This statement indicated the parent's consent to relinquish custody and approve the adoption process. However, during the preparation of the materials, the parent stated that they had never made such a written statement and had signed no document relinquishing their child.

It was revealed that the adoption of the child had been organized and the child had been transferred abroad using that document. In another instance, preliminary data indicated that the management of one orphanage in Armenia had used an application purportedly written by a child's parent to the orphanage's director, requesting to relinquish custody and consent to the adoption. Certain employees of the orphanage also signed this application as a confirmation that it had been written in their presence. Subsequently, this application was stamped by the director of the orphanage and was used for the adoption and transfer of the child abroad. During the preparatory process, the child's parent claimed that they had never written or signed such an application. Furthermore, operational measures revealed that on the day the application was dated and written, the parent was not in the territory of Armenia.

Furthermore, without having any authority to organize or guide the adoption process, in gross violation of the law, certain directors of orphanages and other officials had previously coordinated with foreign citizens wishing to adopt in Armenia and organized their meetings with children in the orphanages. They then encouraged the parents to write applications consenting to the adoption of specific children. It is important to note that according to Armenian legislation, any person wishing to adopt has no right to meet any child until the parent relinquishes their child and the child is registered as available for adoption. Moreover, according to Armenian law, priority is given to Armenian citizens, and foreign citizens may receive information about a child available for adoption only after at least three months from the date the child is registered as available for adoption, provided no Armenian citizen has expressed a desire to adopt the child.

During the measures taken, information was received indicating that directors of various orphanages in Armenia, who had no functions to guide or organize adoptions, committed numerous legal violations that allowed for the adoption of children in their orphanages. For instance, it has been reported that a director of an orphanage had long pressured the parent of one of the children in the orphanage to relinquish their child, write a statement of relinquishment, and give consent for adoption. After not receiving the parent's consent, the director threatened to deprive the parent of parental rights and organize the child's adoption without the parent's consent, stating that in that case, the parent would never receive any information about the child. However, if they voluntarily wrote a statement of relinquishment, the director promised to ensure that the parent would periodically receive information about the child. As a result, the parent provided a written application for consent to the adoption, after which the adoption and transfer of the child abroad were organized.

At this stage, the officers of the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime of the Police have also been actively collaborating with law enforcement agencies from several foreign countries through the National Central Bureau of Interpol in Armenia.

In another case, one of the directors of an orphanage convinced one of the child's parents to relinquish their child and give consent for adoption, assuring them that the child would only be adopted in Armenia. Yet, after stating that the child would need to be adopted abroad, the director had already organized meetings between the child and foreign citizens, knowing where the children would be adopted and urging them to abandon the idea of adopting the child in Armenia.

In yet another instance, as a result of investigative measures, it was found that the director of an orphanage, taking advantage of the parent’s difficult social conditions wishing to temporarily place the child in an orphanage, misled the parent by providing false information that in such cases, the parent must give written consent to relinquish the child and allow for adoption. Otherwise, they could not even temporarily accept the child. Thus, with the parent’s consent gained, the director organized the adoption and transfer of the child abroad shortly after.

Criminal cases have been initiated regarding the apparent crimes, and an investigation is underway.