Public Satements by Ambassador Beyrle
ACQUITTAL OF MILES HARRISON IN THE DEATH OF HIS SON, CHASE HARRISON (DMITRI YAKOVLEV)
The death of 21-month old Chase Harrison (Dmitri Yakovlev) is a terrible tragedy. As a father and as an American, I am deeply saddened that a young, precious life was lost in circumstances that clearly were preventable. The December 17th decision by an American court to acquit his father of involuntary manslaughter charges cannot change that tragedy. Chase Harrison's father will have to live with his mistake for the rest of his life.
Since the court's verdict was announced, some in Russia have called for more restrictions, if not a complete moratorium, on adoptions by American citizens in Russia. While I understand the strong emotions that motivate these calls, I think this would be wrong. At this difficult time, we should keep in mind the tens of thousands of extremely successful adoptions by Americans of Russian children, children who in many cases maintain a connection to their Russian roots. And we should think of the thousands of Russian children who do not have parents and who currently live in state-supported institutions. It seems to me these children have a fundamental right to live with parents – first and foremost, Russian adoptive parents but, if that is not possible, then with responsible, loving parents and families from overseas.
In the coming weeks and months, I will confer with Russian Government officials about practical steps to ease the very real concerns that the Harrison family tragedy raises. All of us – Russians and Americans alike – share an interest in doing everything in our power to prevent tragedies of this kind.
John Beyrle, U.S. Ambassador to Russia
December 19, 2008
