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U.S. Couple Gives Up Russian Adoptees

A U.S. court in Silsbee, Texas, has agreed to relinquish the Deckert couple's parental rights over two of their three adopted Russian children. 

 Michael and Penny Deckert made the request to the court themselves, Shari Pulliam of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said Tuesday , Itar-Tass and RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier in April they told Channel One that they were tired of false allegations.

Michael Deckert was accused by his former adopted daughters of sexual abuse. The two girls later retracted their allegations.

Alexei, Anastasia and Svetlana Klimov, from Krasnokamsk in the Perm region, were adopted by the Deckerts in 2003.

Alexei, 17, ran away from the Deckert's house last year and is still listed in a database of missing children. The two girls will stay in foster care before moving to a new family.

Michael and Linda Tice have agreed to adopt the two sisters and would welcome Alexei as soon as he comes back, Silsbee psychologist and social worker Diana Black said.

The Deckert case was one of a series of scandals that were touted by Russian officials as proof that a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children was justified.

Meanwhile, at least 33 St. Petersburg orphans will not be able to reach their adoptive parents in the U.S., said Svetlana Agapitova, the local children's rights commissioner.

Agapitova has asked the Education and Science Ministry to clarify that American families will soon be notified that they can no longer apply to adopt Russian children.

The 33 children, including 12 with special needs, have already met their future adoptive parents. Some of the parents said they will turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to ensure that the adoption process is finalized.

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