U.S. anti-adoption bill in Russia

All it needs is a signature

The "Dima Yakovlev" is a bill that was approved by 143 senators, and is named after a Russian boy who died in 2008 after being left in the car for nine hours by his adoptive father, the young boy was only two years old.

The boy's father faced at least 10 years in prison, but was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter charges and caused an outrage in Russia.

The head of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvinenko, said to local news agency, Novesti: "We need to adopt this bill, and believe me, no one has pressured me."

If this bill is singed, then it will become a law that will be in effect in a few days, and will prohibit any activities of any organizations that are dedicated to handling adoptions in Russia by U.S. parents, and will also suspend the agreement between Russia and the United States that was signed back in July.

There is also a "black list" that was drafted with some people's names on it, all who are suspected of violating the rights of Russian citizens.

Many believe that this is a Russian response to the U.S. "Magnitski Act" that was signed by president Obama this December, which will impose visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials involved in the alleged torture and murder of 37-year-old Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who had revealed a $230 million dollar tax fraud involving officials of Russia's powerful Interior Ministry.

This bill has caused a lot of controversy both in the U.S. and in Russia, where the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, expressed that this proposed ban was a "mistake".

Russian Minister of Education, Dmitry Livanov, also earlier this week said that the law would only hurt Russian orphans who could not find parents at home.

Joy.Ruvalcaba@sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com

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