Q: As part of a lawsuit to return an abducted minor, which was filed against me in court, my ex-husband claims that our son (8) should not be returned to me, to Israel, because it is a corrupt country. Is there any basis for his claim to be accepted?
By: דיאנה שאלתיאל•Published on: 01 January, 2026A: Apparently not. The defense of a corrupt country has not yet been recognized in proceedings under the Hague Convention, as a defense/exception to the non-return of an abducted minor. Thus, in a Judgment given in Israel on 24.12.23, by the Family Court in the Krayot (Family File 19298-08-23), a defense claim by a mother who abducted a child was rejected, regarding the corruption of the judicial system in the Ukraine, and it was determined that the case should be examined solely according to the Hague Convention.