The Russian Investigative Committee strongly disagrees with the US verdict which freed the Cravers who have murdered the Russian 7-year-old citizen Vanya Skorobogatov. The Committee intends to seek punishment adequate to the crime committed. The point that the couple has already been formally prosecuted and a new process would contradict to the penal principle not to try repeatedly for the same crime is ill-found. According to the International law the prohibition on repeated prosecution is applied only to that in each state, within the framework of national jurisdiction. Namely, this rule is provided by paragraph 7 of article 14 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which both Russia and the US are parts to.
The Russian court’s rejection to satisfy the appeal to put the Cavers into custody cannot prevent further investigation in Russia and the accused from being put on an international wanted list, their detention and extradition from the state they might find themselves in. The investigation is now working on to dispute this decision as well as taking steps to involve the representatives of the injured party in the process.
In addition, the Russian Investigative Committee intends to open more investigations into offences against lives and health of Russian kids adopted by American parents. Particularly, the Chief Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into Michael Grismore, suspected of sexual offence against his underage daughter adopted from Russia. According to the investigation information the suspect’s lawyers tried to reprieve their client by forging the documents stating the girl’s age at the time the alleged crime occurred and representing her as having serious mental problems. The Craver’s lawyers used the same tactics by claiming Vanya to be a mentally sick child. Russian experts ruled out this version during their investigation.
The Investigative Committee leadership appealed to the Foreign Ministry of Russia, to Russian Ombudsman for Children’s Rights and other human rights organizations with the request to render legal assistance to investigation in collecting evidence for these and other cases of offences against lives and health of Russian children adopted by Americans and in their punishment to the fullest extent of the law.
PDF version 
DOC version
