5 Individuals Charged with the Sale of 2 Children, Prosecutor's Office

The Prosecutor's Office of Lori Province has reported that sufficient evidence has been gathered under proper prosecutorial supervision in the criminal case being investigated by the Lori Regional Investigative Department of the Criminal Investigation Committee of Armenia. The evidence pertains to the sale of two newborn children by a mother and daughter, an illegal act that occurred twice, specifically in 2018 and 2019, in preparation for transferring custody of the children.

Specifically, it has been established that a resident of Lori Province reached a preliminary agreement with her mother to sell her child born in 2018. In June 2018, they handed over the child to the father of one of the couples who were to assume custody, after reaching a preliminary agreement to sell the child for an amount equivalent to 2,000 US dollars (964,480 AMD). After recognizing paternity in July 2018 at the Civil Registry of Alaverdi, the sellers received an advance of 500 US dollars (241,120 AMD) and in September, upon receiving 1,200 US dollars (578,688 AMD), the child's mother signed a notarized declaration renouncing her rights to the child’s custody and upbringing.

The same individual also reached a preliminary agreement with her mother regarding the sale of another child born in 2019, and they handed over the child to a couple in Alaverdi after agreeing to sell the child for an amount equivalent to 4,500 US dollars (2,158,650 AMD). Consequently, in December 2019, after the custody-takers recognized paternity at the Civil Registry of Tumanyan, the sellers received an advance of 200 US dollars (95,240 AMD) and demanded a formal obligation from the custodians for the remaining amount.

In February 2020, the mother provided a notarized agreement authorizing the transfer of the child to the Russian Federation, after which the child was moved to Russia.

During the commission of the described acts, false information was submitted to the registry of civil status acts by some individuals involved in the child sale. Five individuals who engaged in the sale of children and provided false information to the civil status registration bodies were charged according to the Armenian Criminal Code, specifically under Articles 168.1, 38-168.1, 168.2.2, and 169.1. As a precautionary measure, a non-leaving pledge was imposed on them. The investigation is ongoing, and measures are being taken to evaluate the actions of other individuals involved in these criminal acts.