Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
A plane left Malawi on Monday carrying the 13-month-old boy Madonna is seeking to adopt, despite new roadblocks in the singer's plans.
A coalition of human rights groups filed a preliminary application seeking to suspend the adoption in a Malawi court on Monday, says Justin Dzonzi of the Human Rights Consultative Committee. The application could be approved as early as today, he says, which would allow the organization to challenge Madonna's interim adoption order granted on Thursday. The group also is interviewing the child's relatives to ensure they understand the process.
The coalition's main objection: Laws in Malawi state that adoptions cannot be granted to applicants who are not residents of the African nation. "An adoption is a (24-month) process over which the court presides," Dzonzi says. "If an adoption takes place in one country, and then moves to another, how would the Malawi court have any control?"
The human rights committee hopes to meet with Madonna's lawyers this week. The singer's U.S. representative did not comment Monday.
On Friday, Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, left Malawi, but processing of the boy's passport held up his departure. Dzonzi says the child left Monday from Lilongwe-Kamuzu International Airport.
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
