斯诺登认为“没有机会”来获得公正的审判

 　　斯诺登认为“没有机会”来获得公正的审判

　　WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Edward Snowden, a former U.S. defense¹ contractor² who revealed the U.S. secret surveillance programs, wrote on Thursday in an online chat that it is "not possible" for him to return to the United States under current whistleblower protection laws and he sees "no chance" to have a fair trial in his home country.

　　"Returning to the U.S., I think, is the best resolution for the government, the public, and myself, but it's unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistleblower protection laws, which, through a failure in law, did not cover national security contractors³ like myself," Snowden said, according to answers posted on the website of advocacy group "Free Snowden."

　　"This is especially frustrating⁴, because it means there's no chance to have a fair trial, and no way I can come home and make my case to a jury," Snowden answered.

　　This is Snowden's second public online Q&A session since the first one hosted by the Guardian⁵ last June after he first revealed the U.S. National Security Agency's secret intelligence surveillance programs.

　　The 30-year-old former NSA contractor is currently living in Russia under temporary asylum⁶ and facing espionage⁷ charge for his leaks about the NSA surveillance practices in his home country.

　　Snowden, who regarded himself as a whistleblower of wrongdoing, also explained that current U.S. whistleblower protection laws in the U.S. "do not protect contractors in the national security arena⁸."

　　"If we had had a real process in place, and reports of wrongdoing could be taken to real, independent arbiters⁹ rather than captured officials, I might not have had to sacrifice so much to do what at this point even the President seems to agree needed to be done," he said.

　　Snowden's latest public comments come after U.S. President Barack Obama offered his proposals to change the NSA controversial surveillance practices last Friday in a highly-anticipated and carefully worded speech.

　　In the speech, Obama outlined his plan to pull back part of the bulk collection of U.S. citizens' phone records while again highlighted his defense for the overall intelligence surveillance practices.

　　Snowden also echoed the points of a report released by a U.S. government privacy review panel on Thursday which concludes that the bulk collection of domestic phone records is not legal and " largely useless in thwarting¹⁰ terrorism."

　　"We have not identified a single instance involving a threat to the United States in which the program made a concrete difference in the outcome of a counterterrorism investigation," the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight¹¹ Board's report wrote.

　　"There is simply no justification¹² for continuing an unconstitutional policy with a 0% success rate," said Snowden during his online Q&A session.

　　However, the Obama administration has never called Snowden a whistleblower till now and suggested for several times that the young contractor should go to his supervisors¹³ instead of disclosing the classified information about the NSA programs.

　　In his speech last Friday, Obama also criticized Snowden's " sensational¹⁴" way of disclosures that has often "shed more heat than light."

　　Hours before Snowden's Q&A session, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder¹⁵ on Thursday said granting clemency¹⁶ for Snowden would be " going too far," NBC reported.

　　Instead, he said he would "engage in conversation" about a resolution with Snowden if the former NSA contractor accepted responsibility for leaking government secrets.

　　Obama has directed Holder and the intelligence community to develop options for a new approach of the domestic phone surveillance program without the government holding the metadata and report back to him before March 28. Part of the president's proposed reforms will also require authorization¹⁷ by Congress. It is not clear what measures will finally be taken into effect in the coming months.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

3 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

6 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

7 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

8 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

9 arbiters   

仲裁人，裁决者( arbiter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the forensicfield, the final arbiters of quality are the courts. 在法医学领域，质量的最后仲裁者是法庭。
• They are, increasingly, arbiters of which types of borrowers get credit. 它们正越来越多地充当决定哪几种借款人可获得信贷的裁决人角色。

10 thwarting   

阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The republicans are trying to embarrass the president by thwarting his economic program. 共和党人企图通过阻挠总统的经济计划使其难堪。
• There were too many men resisting his authority thwarting him. 下边对他这个长官心怀不服的，故意作对的，可多着哩。

11 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

12 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

13 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

14 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

15 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

16 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

17 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。