The National
Couples accused of buying children after trying to adopt Egyptian orphans
written by Jonathan Spollen, Assistant Foreign Editor
May 15. 2009 11:15PM
Three Americans and an Egyptian accused of child trafficking are expected in court today, and face up to seven years in prison if found guilty, in a case that highlights Egypt’s lack of adoption laws and which critics say could be politically motivated.
Their defence lawyers say the four, who are all Christian, were merely trying to adopt the children and have fallen victim to the absence of adoption legislation in Egypt, where the constitution is based on Sharia, or Islamic law.
“Islamic law doesn’t allow for adoption, but Christianity does,” said Neguib Guebrail, one of the defence lawyers. He said the lack of any clear adoption laws for Christians had forced the community to resort to forging documents.
Early last year, Suzan Haglouf, a US citizen of Egyptian origin, and her Egyptian husband, Medhat Metyas, adopted a newborn from a Coptic Christian orphanage.
The couple admit to forging documents to say Ms Haglouf was the biological mother because Egypt has no legal framework for adoption, but they insist they did not “pay” for the child, making only a US$70 (Dh260) donation to the orphanage.
They were arrested in December when applying for visas to visit the United States.
The US Embassy asked for a DNA sample to prove the child was theirs and when Ms Haglouf declined they notified the Egyptian authorities.
The other couple, Iris Botros, 40, and her husband Louis Andros, 70, from Durham, North Carolina, came to Egypt last autumn and “adopted” newborn twins from the same orphanage.
They too forged documents to say Ms Botros, who is Egyptian, gave birth to the twins and also donated $4,600 to the orphanage, their lawyers say.
They were also arrested after applying for visas at the US Embassy when Ms Botros admitted she was not the twins’ biological mother.
The prosecution accuses the two couples, as well as their accomplices, of human trafficking, forging documents, buying children and trying to smuggle them out of the country.
At least 13 people are on trial, including the two couples, at least two doctors who wrote certificates for the three children, a nun who ran the orphanage, an official there who helped with forging the parental documents and an Egyptian banker who had put the couples in touch with the orphanage, according to defence lawyers.
Adoption is known to occur within the Christian community, though the government usually turns a blind eye.
Please click HERE to read the entire article...
Couples accused of buying children after trying to adopt Egyptian orphans
written by Jonathan Spollen, Assistant Foreign Editor
May 15. 2009 11:15PM
Three Americans and an Egyptian accused of child trafficking are expected in court today, and face up to seven years in prison if found guilty, in a case that highlights Egypt’s lack of adoption laws and which critics say could be politically motivated.
Their defence lawyers say the four, who are all Christian, were merely trying to adopt the children and have fallen victim to the absence of adoption legislation in Egypt, where the constitution is based on Sharia, or Islamic law.
“Islamic law doesn’t allow for adoption, but Christianity does,” said Neguib Guebrail, one of the defence lawyers. He said the lack of any clear adoption laws for Christians had forced the community to resort to forging documents.
Early last year, Suzan Haglouf, a US citizen of Egyptian origin, and her Egyptian husband, Medhat Metyas, adopted a newborn from a Coptic Christian orphanage.
The couple admit to forging documents to say Ms Haglouf was the biological mother because Egypt has no legal framework for adoption, but they insist they did not “pay” for the child, making only a US$70 (Dh260) donation to the orphanage.
They were arrested in December when applying for visas to visit the United States.
The US Embassy asked for a DNA sample to prove the child was theirs and when Ms Haglouf declined they notified the Egyptian authorities.
The other couple, Iris Botros, 40, and her husband Louis Andros, 70, from Durham, North Carolina, came to Egypt last autumn and “adopted” newborn twins from the same orphanage.
They too forged documents to say Ms Botros, who is Egyptian, gave birth to the twins and also donated $4,600 to the orphanage, their lawyers say.
They were also arrested after applying for visas at the US Embassy when Ms Botros admitted she was not the twins’ biological mother.
The prosecution accuses the two couples, as well as their accomplices, of human trafficking, forging documents, buying children and trying to smuggle them out of the country.
At least 13 people are on trial, including the two couples, at least two doctors who wrote certificates for the three children, a nun who ran the orphanage, an official there who helped with forging the parental documents and an Egyptian banker who had put the couples in touch with the orphanage, according to defence lawyers.
Adoption is known to occur within the Christian community, though the government usually turns a blind eye.
Please click HERE to read the entire article...
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