A Russian woman was arrested last month as a result of a child custody battle. The woman was further ordered to stay in the United States until a legal dispute over the custody of her child has been resolved.
On June 6, the 30-year-old woman was released from house arrest; however, she was ordered to give up her Russian passport and stay in the country until the court reaches a decision in her custody dispute. The woman has been fighting over the custody of her 3-year-old daughter with her ex-husband. So far, the custody dispute has not received very much attention in the American media. However, the woman is famous in Russia right now because of a Russia’s children’s rights ombudsman claims that the United States is holding her hostage.
Furthermore, this is not the only case in which the U.S. government has been accused of not protecting the rights of Russian families and children. In fact, there have been other abuse cases that have strained Russo-American relations.
In the instant case, sheriff’s deputies detained the woman after she arrived in Illinois by air on May 20. She was charged with indirect civil contempt relating to a previous court order where she was told to bring her child back to the United States so the child could be with her father. The mother was arrested on May 20 because she had returned to the United States but had violated the court order by not bringing her daughter.
This is not the only cross-border child custody dispute that involved Russians. Furthermore, cases involving abused adopted Russian children have also become a topic of discussion in the Russian government. North Dakota parents who are involved in a foreign dispute over child custody may find themselves facing serious legal hurdles due to the different laws and perceptions held in other countries.
