Anonymous wrote:I read the Afghan couple has filed 4 lawsuits and we are just hearing about the federal one in Virginia now. Why isn’t there more press about this?!

Because its the secret in the adoption industry and happens more than you think. Good for them.

Anonymous wrote:It is mind boggling to me that someone would think they're doing the right thing here by taking this baby away.

If that little girl was going to be a victim of female genital mutilation, they DID do the right thing.

Anonymous wrote:This is a horrific story. I adopted internationally many years ago. Every potential adoptive parent is told by the State Department that you cannot adopt a child from a Muslim country. How did he get a visa or Afghan passport with his last name? Hague convention o adoption which stopped most International adoptions also forbids them s. Somebody’s ready needs to get this case quickly into federal court. If anyone knows who is representing Afghans please le me know. There are many people who could help pro bono

They’re being represented by really good lawyers in DC and NYC offices of McGuire Woods which gives me hope. it appears it’s all hands on deck.

The Masts are being represented by Hunton. The Mast brother is representing himself and Kimberly Motley is being represented by Alston & Bird.

McGuire and Hunton are both originally big Richmond powerhouse firms which would make sense since this is being played out in both the state courts in Palymra/Fluvanna family & juvenile court as well as the federal court eastern district of
Virginia in Charlottesville. You want someone with Virginia ties representing you. It may come down to state law. I really want the Afghans to get their child back ASAP

This man needs to be extradited to an Afghan court. After all he broke their law.

His other children also needs to be removed as clearly they are being raised by a cult that promotes the trafficking of children.

This is a horrific story. I adopted internationally many years ago. Every potential adoptive parent is told by the State Department that you cannot adopt a child from a Muslim country. How did he get a visa or Afghan passport with his last name? Hague convention o adoption which stopped most International adoptions also forbids them s. Somebody’s ready needs to get this case quickly into federal court. If anyone knows who is representing Afghans please le me know. There are many people who could help pro bono

Only a Marine would try to pull something this crazy.

And before you act outraged…you know I’m right.

I haven't yet read all the responses but thank you for starting this thread - I read about this story a few days ago and was outraged. As a former prosecutor and child neglect attorney it shocked my conscience.

Above all other things the Masts are most despicable for tearing the child from her guardian cousins who were the only parents she knew from late infancy when she was orphaned until about 3 years of age. That couple were a married for love union that was further blessed to become guardians of this little baby cousin when they as yet had no children of their own. The Masts already had two sons so presumably knew something about child development, yet they tore a 3 year old child from her loving parents and thrust her into a strange home with people whose appearance and customs were entirely foreign to her and doubtless expect her to behave as though she’s been blessed by their ‘adopting’ her rather than being traumatized as she doubtless was/is.

This case is sickening and it is shameful that the military and state department haven’t done more to rectify this egregious wrong ASAP so that poor little girl can have her real family back.

The kid obviously had a home Everestin she was loved, and that family wants her back
What you forget is that adoption is not meant to take away a family, but to provide one

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Afghan law requires the baby to remain in Afghanistan or only be placed with a Muslim Afghan relative or another family abroad?

Are we talking current Afghan (read: taliban) law?

Any reason why any country should abide by Taliban law?

This is tricky, right?

It’s not exactly the traditional islamaphobia, white savior privilege, right?

I’m all for orphans being raised by loving family members. I think ethnicity, culture and religion matter. But see the slippery slope? Should orphans only be placed with people who look like them?

Personally, I don’t think any civilized country should abide by the laws of the Taliban. YMMV.

I see where you are coming from, and that’s one of the arguments the lawyer for the Masts (his brother, in fact) was making (referring to young boys being assaulted by men over there), but the slippery slope also goes the other way: can we just take the babies of countries very different from ours, just because we perceive their laws and procedures to be inferior?

+1 Could some couple from Japan come and take your kids because they’ll be safer there since there are no school shootings?

Russia has suspended international adoptions by US parents because too many Russian orphans have died living with American adoptive parents (!). Maybe Russia should just start taking American babies?

My work colleague wanted to adopt a Russian child but it was sick from fetal alcohol syndrome. My American colleague was crushed.

Another adoption I know about—the Russian child was very sick and has medical issues to this day. Very expensive. The 3rd and 4th adoptions I personally know about ended up with the children losing their minds and trying to kill their parents.

So Russia sends the best, I’m sure.

It’s well known that children from certain countries are prone to FAS. And several countries are upfront that the children available for foreign adoptions have special needs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Afghan law requires the baby to remain in Afghanistan or only be placed with a Muslim Afghan relative or another family abroad?

Are we talking current Afghan (read: taliban) law?

Any reason why any country should abide by Taliban law?

This is tricky, right?

It’s not exactly the traditional islamaphobia, white savior privilege, right?

I’m all for orphans being raised by loving family members. I think ethnicity, culture and religion matter. But see the slippery slope? Should orphans only be placed with people who look like them?

Personally, I don’t think any civilized country should abide by the laws of the Taliban. YMMV.

I see where you are coming from, and that’s one of the arguments the lawyer for the Masts (his brother, in fact) was making (referring to young boys being assaulted by men over there), but the slippery slope also goes the other way: can we just take the babies of countries very different from ours, just because we perceive their laws and procedures to be inferior?

+1 Could some couple from Japan come and take your kids because they’ll be safer there since there are no school shootings?

Russia has suspended international adoptions by US parents because too many Russian orphans have died living with American adoptive parents (!). Maybe Russia should just start taking American babies?

My work colleague wanted to adopt a Russian child but it was sick from fetal alcohol syndrome. My American colleague was crushed.

Another adoption I know about—the Russian child was very sick and has medical issues to this day. Very expensive. The 3rd and 4th adoptions I personally know about ended up with the children losing their minds and trying to kill their parents.

So Russia sends the best, I’m sure.

Anonymous wrote:Things like this happen to U.S. children, too. I know a couple that looks perfect on paper and coerced (including $) a teen couple into adoption when she was literally going into labor. Perfectly legal.

while that story might have been legal, the one with the Afghan couple definitely is not.

Now the Afghan government (aka Taliban) has found out and is pi$$ed. And if you think the State Department doesn't work with the current Afghanistan government, think again. This is now super messy.

https://twitter.com/kabulnewstv/status/1584127595108761605?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Things like this happen to U.S. children, too. I know a couple that looks perfect on paper and coerced (including $) a teen couple into adoption when she was literally going into labor. Perfectly legal.

This article goes into more detail, and it’s just incredibly awful.

The Masts, his brother and Kimberly Motley should be in jail. There are closed hearings occurring occurring in Palmyra. The Masts threatened the couple not to go to the authorities. I am so insanely sad for them.

https://www.wbaltv.com/amp/article/afghan-couple-accuse-us-marine-of-abducting-baby/41743883

Anonymous wrote:I read the Afghan couple has filed 4 lawsuits and we are just hearing about the federal one in Virginia now. Why isn’t there more press about this?!

Having read the original AP article, it’s clear that it is a crazy complicated case with tons of required fact checking.

The judge in rural Virginia sounds corrupt AF. Pretty obvious that that Mast brothers - both are attorneys - know the judge.

I read the Afghan couple has filed 4 lawsuits and we are just hearing about the federal one in Virginia now. Why isn’t there more press about this?!