The United States shares your concerns regarding the bill passed by the Russian Duma
that, if it were to become law, would ban inter-country adoptions
between the United States and Russia and would restrict the ability of
Russian civil society organizations to work with American partners. We
will continue to raise these concerns with Russian government.

Children
should have every opportunity to grow up in loving families; their fate
should not be linked to unrelated political considerations. The United
States and Russia concluded a bilateral agreement on inter-country
adoptions, which entered into force on November 1, 2012. The Agreement
provides additional safeguards to better protect the welfare and
interests of children and all parties involved in inter-country
adoptions.

The United States also remains committed to supporting
the development of civil society and the democratic process around the
world, including in Russia. We deeply regret recent efforts to restrict
civil society activity in Russia, and to single out organizations that
have U.S. partners for special restrictions. In today’s interconnected
world, non-governmental organizations should be free to cooperate
internationally with partners of their choice.

The United States
remains concerned over the lack of accountability for those implicated
in the tragic death in 2009 of Sergey Magnitskiy. The United States will
continue to call for full accountability for those responsible for
Magnitskiy’s unjust imprisonment and wrongful death, including through
implementation of the Sergey Magnitskiy Rule of Law Accountability Act
of 2012.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul’s statement on the bill passed by the Russian Duma can be found here and the Department of State’s Acting Deputy Spokesperson’s statement can be found here.

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