Victims of Republic of Georgia’s Adoption Scandal Seek Biological Parents

“For decades, tens of thousands of babies were declared dead in Georgian hospitals and sold for adoption. An organization is trying to reunite the abducted children with their biological parents.

Panagiotis Souroukli ,22, learned his adoption was part of a Georgian human‑trafficking scheme.

With support from the NGO Vedzeb, he is searching for his biological parents, guided by DNA tests and new family leads.

As more victims come forward, the scale of Georgia’s adoption scandal becomes clear — yet Panagiotis keeps hoping for answers.”

Panagiotis was adopted from Republic of Georgia to Cyprus.He believes he was declared dead after his birth then sold. He regularly flies to Georgia to find his parents through a nonprofit  organization, Vezdeb, which translates to “I am searching”. He found out he was sold when he turned in his adoption paperwork to the Cyprus government and they said it was fake.

A Georgian woman has agreed to a DNA test to hopefully match her with Panagiotis, whom they think is a relative.

Panagiotis found a cousin!

100,000 children were declared dead, but, they were sold for adoption.

Victims of Georgia adoption scandal seek biological parents

[DW 4/4/26 by Alexander Stenzel]

 

 

 

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