ST. PETRSBURG, January 31 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Constitutional Court on Friday instructed lawmakers to review the Criminal Code articles punishment under which entails a lifelong ban on adoption, the court said.

According to Russia’s Family Code, children cannot be adopted by people with criminal records or who were prosecuted for crimes against the life, health, freedom, honor and dignity of a person, excluding cases that were terminated on exonerative grounds.

The Constitutional Court has ruled that this provision contradicts the constitution, because an unconditional and lifelong ban on adoption cannot ensure an individual approach to the interests of the child. The court has instructed lawmakers to review the related Family Code provisions and the list of violent crimes which entail a total ban on adoption as punishment.

“Until these amendments are made, the ban on adoption will be absolute for people who have been tried for grave crimes under the Criminal Code, and also for sex crimes. Adoption cases involving people with records for other crimes are decided by a court on a case by case basis,” the Constitutional Court said.

The problem came to light after a complaint filed by Sergei Anikiyev, who was prosecuted in 2009 for willfully inflicting damage on the health of another individual. The case was dropped because the sides settled their complaints out of court. But in 2012, a court rejected his request for the adoption of his wife’s 18-month-old son whose biological father had surrendered his parental rights.

The Constitutional Court ruled that Anikiyev’s request be reviewed.