[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15652]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        INTERNATIONAL ABDUCTION

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, the issue of international child abduction 
is one of the most important to me, and to the parents of the 10,000 
American children who have been abducted to foreign countries. These 
children have lost years of time with their parents, and their parents 
have missed watching them grow up. It is outrageous that American 
children are being held hostage in other countries by unlawful 
noncustodial parents and unresponsive foreign justice systems.
  In February of 1998, Aryssa Torabi was abducted by her father to 
Tehran, Iran. Aryssa's father was able to leave the country with 
fraudulent custody papers. A Federal warrant was issued for his arrest 
and the FBI has become involved in the case.
  In May of this year, Aryssa's mother found her through the work of a 
private investigator who was able to speak with the family, with the 
abductor's family, and get some pictures of her. The reports from the 
family are that Aryssa is extremely unhappy.
  Children like Aryssa and her mother should not be kept apart, we must 
continue to do all that we can to take action on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, we must bring our children home.

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