INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Four Russian fertility clinic employees and two surrogate mothers have been handed jail sentences of varying lengths as part of the
found the head of the European Surrogacy Center, Vladislav Melnikov, guilty of child trafficking and sentenced him to 19.5 years in prison,
charges.Obstetrician-gynecologist Lilya Panaioti received a sentence of 16 years and three months in prison.Surrogate mothers Tatiana
Blinova and Liliya Valeyeva were sentenced to four years and 10.5 years in prison.Prosecutors had requested up to 20 years of imprisonment
The case was reportedly heard behind closed doors for an undisclosed reason.Melnikov and Panaioti called the trafficking charges against
fleeing the country.His associate Roman Yemashev, interpreter Kirill Anisimov and courier Valentina Chernsyshova received prison sentences
legal.Lawmakers moved to ban surrogacy for non-Russian couples last year following increasing warnings that wealthy foreigners were
exploiting Russian women and children.President Vladimir Putin signed a lawbanning foreigners from having children with the help of a
