Moscow fears for adopted Russian boy in U.S.

 　　MOSCOW, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia was seriously alarmed by the fate of an adopted Russian child in the United States to whom Russian consulate¹ workers were being denied access, a high-ranking diplomat² said Wednesday.

　　"We are seriously concerned with the situation of Russian child Yegor Shatabalov, adopted by the U.S. citizen Marcia Anne Brandt in 2007 under a ruling issued by the Kemerovo regional court," the Russian Foreign Ministry³'s envoy⁴ for human rights, democracy and supremacy⁵ of law, Konstantin Dolgov, said in an online comment.

　　According to Dolgov, Brandt had been in a same-sex marriage with another woman, Beth Chapman, before 2009. After their break-up, the two women became locked in a custody⁶ battle for the boy, who lives in San Francisco.

　　The custody dispute had become unacceptable and harmed the boy's psychological well-being⁷, Dolgov said, adding Moscow believed the current circumstances were against the boy's best interests as the child needed bringing up in a normal family.

　　The Russian Foreign Ministry had been studying the circumstances of Yegor's adoption⁸, the official said.

　　Dolgov said Brandt had concealed⁹ her same-sex union when she applied¹⁰ for adoption to bypass the Russian Family Code, which clearly described marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

　　On Feb. 13, Dolgov demanded access to Shatabalov, but the diplomat did not reveal the boy's name at that time.

　　On Monday, Russia called on U.S. authorities to punish the adoptive mother of a Russia-born boy who died allegedly due to her criminal negligence¹¹.

　　On Feb. 9, President Vladimir Putin said Russian orphans¹² should be adopted in their homeland.

　　The conditions for Russian children in U.S. families became a hot issue at the end of 2012 when Moscow passed the Dima Yakovlev Act, or the so-called Anti-Magnitsky Act.

　　The act banned Americans from adopting Russian orphans in a tit-for-tat response to the U.S. Magnitsky Act.

　　The U.S. act, passed in December 2012, introduced a blacklist of Russian officials allegedly linked to the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Russian prison in 2009.

1 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

5 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

8 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

9 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

10 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

11 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

12 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。