Addressed to :

• Madam Anna Iourevna Kouznetsova, Children’s Rights Delegate to the President of the Federation of Russia
• Madam Sylvie Bermann, Ambassadress of France to Russia
  Madam Anna Iourevna Kouznetsova, Children’s Rights Delegate to the President of the Federation of Russia
  Madam Sylvie Bermann, Ambassadress of France to Russia

This open letter and petition has been addressed to you to inform you of the situation of our niece, Christina Sion, 9 years old and at present kept under tutelage in Khabarovsk.
Christina has both French and Russian nationality. Her father, Christophe Sion, (my brother) married a young Russian girl, Dina Syssoeva, in 2009 and little Christina was born in St. Petersburg.
However, tragedy was to follow when in August 2013, Dina Syssoeva savagely murdered my brother and kept his body for a week in the apartment where Christina was staying. Dina Syssoeva’s father, Victor Véniaminovitch Sysssoev, came from Khabarovsk to assist her in dismembering the body and moving the remains to a forest in Pskov where the body was incinerated and left to wild beasts in the area.
The murderer was convicted and sentenced to eleven years in prison for forgery and acts of forgery; theft and murder. Unfortunately, little Christina has been left in the hands of her guardian, Faїna Syssoeva, the wife of Victor Véniaminovitch. The child is being constantly submitted to ill treatment of an indisputable psychological nature with consequences we can affirm, in an atmosphere of hatred, lies and harsh cries on the part of her guardian. As well, Christina is in permanent close contact with this inhumane person who desecrated her father’s body, thus providing a dangerous environment for the mental health of the child who has already lost her landmarks of freedom.
In addition to this macabre situation is the negative and undiscerning attitude of the Tutelage Service in Khabarovsk which persists in consistently failing to recognise this situation. « The child is given food so everything is fine. »
The various explanations for this disastrous refusal make an inquiry indispensable but this is the responsibility of the Russian Federation and thus beyond our control. Our one and only aim is to save little Christina (I am her Godmother) and adopt her. Our case appeared to be making good progress in spite of numerous vicissitudes, with the forfeit of maternal rights being pronounced by the judge of Khabarovsk, but an extraordinary appeal against this decision has been upheld by another local judge. We simply can not abandon Christina to this hostile environment and we are sure that you will understand this.
It is for this reason that we are asking you to accord great priority to this case in order that true justice be upheld ; that this child be finally adopted by her French family who love her and who are waiting for her so that she will be at last cherished, protected and treated as she not only deserves but needs.
We beg you to believe, Madam, Children’s Rights Delegate to the President of the Federation of Russia, and Madam Sylvie Bermann, Ambassadress of France to Russia, our sincere greetings and in advance, our deepest gratitude for Christina, who, although she does not realise it, symbolises our long-lasting Franco-Russian friendship.

                        Barbara Sion-Caggini and Pierre Caggini

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