It has been reported that the children abducted from Florence by their mother Marianne Grin, have been placed in Yeshiva centres in St Petersburg. These institutions house orphans and children from underprivileged families. The three boys are residing in one centre and their sister is living in another institution that takes in girls. The children are not allowed to contact their family and friends in Italy and the US. Since these developments have come to light, there as been a slight shift in the way the case is being reported in the Russian press. However their family have expressed grave concerns regarding their safety and well being. The failure of the Russian, Italian and US authorities to take immediate action in relation to this case is hugely disappointing.
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I have just been talking to the father about this case. There are many significant likenesses to the case of Yaanis and Mira Mellersh who were killed when their mother Elke committed suicide in Turkey. I hope to write to the Russian child protection authorities pointing out the dangers and ask them to do a thorough psychiatric examination of the Grinn children and their mother to make sure that another tragedy is avoided.
Nick Mellersh
You know, the strangest thing is happenning: in Russia everybody believes Marianne, but not her husband. The way she tells her story and presents the facts seems very convincing. But those who want to know the truth, keep asking a rithorical question: was she really diagnosed as emotionally and psychologically unstable, paranoid etc.? If yes then why was she allowed to see her children without any supervision? This might have prevented the abduction. People who saw her say she is absolutely fine, so proof is needed in Russia! She has a family in Russia, relatives who know her since childhood.
And actually Yeshiva is not an orphanage, it is a Jewish religious center with a proper school.
Kate,
Ah, gee, nobody believes her at the place where she lived for 15 years but she moves to a country where her story can’t be verified, gets it printed in tabloids, and suddenly she’s credible?
Please.
Baltinfo and PiterTV have already deleted their stories. Doesn’t sound like “everyone believing”. Sounds opposite. Maybe that’s what you meant?
While others were removing her bizarre story, more mainstream press with fact-checkers were dismantling it. See http://www.fontanka.ru/2012/03/22/024
The Russian press is now reaching the same conclusions about her reported previously in the mainstream Italian press.
“Paranoid delusions?” Well, she did whisper to the Fontanka journalist in conspiratorial tones that she had lost custody in Italy because her ex is “really a CIA agent”. (The CIA is controlling family courts in Italy?!?)
And, yes, the court expert did report the paranoia, too, as did so many people who saw her cut off relationships with family (and, nope, her mom, brother, aunt, and cousins all live in the US, not Russia) and friends, and gravitate towards “women she meets over the Internet” (same source).
Everything else is verifiable via the blog:
http://bringflorentinekidshome.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/international-parental-child-abduction/
“People who see her in Russia..”? Who, the Chabad group she’s abandoned the kids to?
As for unsupervised visitation, read the links at the bottom of the blog post and you’ll find the answers and the criticism of the Italian press (use Google Translate).
Thanks for the chance to give this answer.
Alex
Also, the Yeshiva in question is not a licensed school. And if you read their website, you can see for yourself on the orphanage part.
Actually very few people in Russia believe what Marianne Grin is saying.
See Fontonka article where she is finally exposed:
http://www.fontanka.ru/2012/03/22/024/
She was allowed to see her children without supervision because the divorce proceedings were in Italy where Mama is everything. The judge could not believe a mother would actually hurt her children in this way. The psychologist and judge asked her to seek psychiatric help, obviously she had no one left to help her get this help and ran away from her life, selfishly not thinking of the lives of her children. They will grow to hate her for this and will not want to see her again, just as she has done to her mother.
Kate,
Yes, she was diagnosed as being paranoid and they found her drugging the children. There are plenty of independent reports. She ran from Italy during a pending investigation for child abuse. See the Italian news reports below.
Not a surprise at all that she was unable to care for the children and put them in institutions in Russia:
http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/10/14/news/la_moglie_fugge_in_russia_con_i_figli_il_marito_aiutatemi_a_trovarli-23186341/
http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2011/10/14/rapisce-figli-scappa-in-russia.html
http://www.dirittoeminori.com/pages/bambini-spariti-nel-nulla/
http://www.zeroviolenzadonne.it/rassegna/pdfs/3c599e38af67429291cf552de40d55d1.pdf
http://www.lanazione.it/firenze/cronaca/2011/10/14/600236-scappa_figli_russia.shtml
http://nuovavenezia.gelocal.it/cronaca/2011/10/15/news/i-figli-rapiti-passati-per-il-ghetto-1.1597052
http://www.divorziobreve.org/node/1255
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it is a good news to know that Russia start to apply The Hague Agreement. Recently (15 may 2012) the European Court of Human Rights, of which Russia is part of, confirmed the right of the father to have back the children abducted see here :
http://www.child-abduction.net/Home/Compaints%20of%20The%20Hague%20vs%20ECHR/Compalints%20of%20The%20hague%20vs%20ECHR.html