14 Criminal Cases Launched Regarding Alleged Adoption Process Abuses and Separations of Children from Parents

In recent years, the Republic of Armenia has seen a surge in alleged abuses within the adoption process, as well as reports of children being illegally separated from their parents post-birth. In the framework of these reports, from 2019 to 2020, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia actively initiated criminal investigations leading to 14 criminal cases.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, evidence suggests that the adoption of over ten children was conducted in gross violation of Armenian legislation, which may indicate crimes related to the sale of children. As a result, on October 26, 2019, a criminal case was initiated in the Investigation Department of the National Security Service of Armenia under various articles of the Criminal Code. The preliminary investigation is ongoing within the Investigative Committee's KGB Division.

In order to clarify all circumstances regarding these cases, extensive investigatory and procedural actions have been undertaken. During the preliminary investigation, more than twenty biological parents of children adopted abroad in recent years have been interrogated, most of whom stated that they relinquished their parental rights due to misinformation, blackmail, and threats from hospital staff.

It was revealed that the aforementioned children were adopted by citizens of several foreign countries. During the preliminary investigation, around 200 mothers and their relatives who gave birth in previous years submitted requests, with several dozen being interrogated. Most of the reports have been attached to the aforementioned criminal case, making these circumstances further subjects of investigation.

During the preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated by the NSS, new occurrences of separating children from their parents without consent and cases of alleged buying and selling of children were uncovered. Consequently, two additional criminal cases were initiated based on the findings, one under Article 167, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code, and another under Article 168, Paragraph 2, Clause 1, which have been combined with the main case.

Additionally, the Investigative Committee's KGB Division received a criminal case initiated by the Criminal Police on similar grounds under Article 167, Paragraph 2, and Article 314, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, which is currently under investigation. After the initiation of the criminal case, two articles published in the media were forwarded to the Police for further action.

As a result of extensive operational and investigative measures, three criminal cases have been opened by the Police's Main Department on similar circumstances, one under Article 168, Paragraph 2, Clause 4, another under Article 167, Paragraphs 2, 3, 4, and Article 314, with one opened under Article 167, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. Furthermore, verification actions are being undertaken based on one received document.

Moreover, the Prosecutor's Office has received and forwarded three additional requests and six articles published in the media to the Investigative Committee's KGB Division. Based on four of these, criminal cases have been initiated, including four under Article 130, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code, and one under Article 167, Paragraph 2, Clause 2. The remaining five reports are being verified within the ongoing criminal investigations.

Additionally, both directly and through the Office of the Prosecutor General, 28 requests have been sent to the Erevan, Central, and Mashtots Police Departments. Two have been rejected for not substantiating criminal activity, while two have led to cases being initiated under Article 130, which are under investigation at the Investigative Committee's KGB Division, with 18 sent for consideration in the context of the ongoing preliminary investigation from October 26, 2019.

As for a complaint submitted to the Prosecutor's Office regarding a child's separation, a decision was made to overturn a previous rejection from 2015 for initiating a criminal case due to lack of evidence of a crime, resulting in a criminal case being opened and forwarded to the Investigative Committee for examination.

Currently, charges have been brought against five individuals in one of the criminal cases related to alleged abuses in the adoption process being reviewed by the Investigative Committee. Active and extensive investigatory, procedural, and operational measures are being conducted within this case. Genetic expert examinations have been appointed and conducted, leading to procedural resolutions based on their findings.

The Prosecutor General has instructed the Director of the NSS to undertake operational and investigative measures to uncover possible illegalities during the adoption process, ascertain the actual circumstances of the cases, and investigate the potential involvement of other individuals in the identified criminal schemes, as well as to clarify several significant facts for the criminal cases.