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Foundling being cared for in Estonia

Other News Materials 17 October 2008 21:17 (UTC +04:00)

A young Russian-born girl abandoned in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, remains in the care of local social services, nearly a week after she was found.

"The girl is being kept at the Children's Hospital of Tallinn. Her medical condition is okay, but we cant give exact details," a spokesperson for the Estonian Prosecutor's Office told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa Friday.

They also confirmed that even though the girl was born in Russia, she is an Estonian citizen.

The two-year-old was found alone near a shopping centre in Tallinn last Saturday, sparking a widespread media campaign in an effort to identify her.

That paid dividends on Tuesday when a relative contacted police and revealed the girl was born to Russian parents but sent to Estonia to live with an uncle. Estonia has a sizeable ethnic Russian minority, accounting for around a quarter of the population.

"It is a very complicated case, because the parents of the baby have Russian citizenship and are in Russia," Reet Raak of Tallinn's social services department told the Postimees newspaper Thursday.

However, contrary to some media reports, the Estonian foreign ministry told dpa Friday that there has been no contact between the ministry and the Russian embassy about the girl. No contact was planned as the matter is the subject of a criminal investigation.

The girl's uncle, who has three other children, was arrested on Wednesday and could serve up to three years in jail if he is found guilty of mistreating a child.

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