Russian doctors have taken DNA samples from 49 kids in Syrian prisons and refugee camp al-Hawl to see if they are related to Russian citizens, children's rights commissioner for the president, Anna Kuznetsova, said Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) Russian doctors have taken DNA samples from 49 kids in Syrian prisons and refugee camp al-Hawl to see if they are related to Russian citizens, children's rights commissioner for the president, Anna Kuznetsova, said Thursday.
"DNA samples were taken from 49 kids in the al-Hawl camp and in Damascus, in Syrian prisons ... Samples were taken from their parents as well. We can say that if these children are found to be related to Russian citizens, we'll process their citizenship. We will have DNA test results very soon," Kuznetsova said.
The commissioner added that the group included mainly very young children, younger than six months, but some of them were older than that.
"So far, we have been given access only to orphans and the children that are not under anyone's care," the commissioner said.
Meanwhile, regarding the return of Russian adults who joined terrorists in Syria, Alexander Bortnikov, the director of Russia's Federal Security Service, said that they would have to be vetted by local security forces first.
"They have to be vetted by local authorities, local law enforcement. After that, we will decide. But as for them just up and coming [back], we are strongly against that," Bortnikov told reporters.
Regarding kids, Bortnikov said, "This is a different matter."
