Americans Allowed To Adopt Kyrgyz Children

Five U.S. citizens have been allowed to adopt Kyrgyz orphans.

Officials with Kyrgyzstan's Social Development Ministry told RFE/RL on July 30 that a court had granted the right to the Americans days ago and the ruling will come into force in one month.

In May, several international companies obtained licenses to conduct foreign adoptions in Kyrgyzstan.

Adoptions of Kyrgyz children by foreigners were suspended in 2011 after former Social Protection Minister Ravshan Sabirov was convicted of accepting bribes for arranging adoptions.

The fallout from the Sabirov scandal prevented dozens of Kyrgyz orphans from being allowed to leave with their adoptive American parents, who had started the adoption process in 2009.

Some of the children had severe handicaps and have died since the adoption moratorium was declared.