【英语语言学习】埃及抗议者对抗反抗议法

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Two presidents of Egypt have been ousted¹ after often violent street demonstrations³ since the Arab Spring, but a law passed in November now bans any protest that is not sanctioned by the Egyptian government as part of the broad crackdown on the dissent⁴ there, and thousands have been arrested. Many remain in jail.

Today activists⁵ are calling for a rally which does not have police permission to protest the law at the Presidential Palace. Merrit Kennedy reports they face an uphill battle against not only the crackdown, but also protest fatigue⁶.

MERRIT KENNEDY, BYLINE⁷: Tarek Tito is a fast talking law student with head phones slung⁸ around his neck. He was released earlier this month after more than two months in jail.

TAREK TITO: (Foreign language spoken).

KENNEDY: After police arrested him at a protest, he says he was beaten and subjected to electric shocks. At the police station, he was crammed⁹ in a tiny 10 by 10 foot cell with 50 other people. He was then accused of belonging to the outlawed¹⁰ Muslim Brotherhood¹¹ movement.

TITO: (Foreign language spoken).

KENNEDY: But this wasn't his first time behind bars. Last year, it was the former Islamist government that arrested him at a protest and accused him of attacking the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters. That case is still pending¹². So it might seem contradictory¹³ to be on the wrong side of both the new government and the old government that it forced out.

TITO: (Through translator) We all laughed at this. It just represented the oppression and tyranny of the past three years. This was a scandal for the regime.

KENNEDY: After sitting in detention¹⁴ for 67 days, Tito was acquitted¹⁵ earlier this month, but he hasn't stopped protesting. This week, he was at a small sit in outside the Presidential Palace. A few dozen people were demonstrating against the government's controversial protest law. That's the law that the current government has used to arrest Tito and thousands of other. They include the husband of Nourhan Hefzy, who organized this sit in as a build up to today's planned march. Her husband remains¹⁶ in jail on a three year sentence.

NOURHAN HEFZY: (Through translator) The act of peaceful protesting is not a gift from the state. It is our right, and the state does not have the authority to take it away. But this is what the law did.

KENNEDY: Amnesty International call the law a serious set-back to human rights. It says it allows the police and military to use excessive and lethal¹⁷ force to break up demonstrations. The government, though, says the law is necessary in its war against terrorism. Nathan Brown, a professor at George Washington University, says it's had a chilling effect on dissent.

NATHAN BROWN: I think right now the number of people who are interested in protesting, public demonstration², a normal political activity, has gotten to be very, very small and is now restricted really to the core opposition¹⁸ to the regime.

KENNEDY: Now, he says, people who criticize the government are routinely branded as traders by the public and the media. After three years on a political roller coaster, many Egyptians are just tired of the instability. On a busy street of car parts and auto¹⁹ repair shops in downtown Cairo, people are happy to be back to a normal routine. Saber Khalaf, a car mechanic here, enthusiastically supports the protest law. He says it's necessary to keep things under control.

SABER KHALAF: (Foreign language spoken).

KENNEDY: Khalaf says he had very little work during the last three years and blamed the protests which often became violent. Now he says business is finally improving.

KHALAF: (Foreign language spoken).

KENNEDY: Others nearby agree with him, saying the protest wrecked²⁰ Cairo's vital tourist economy. A few blocks away is Tahrir Square. The images of Tahrir packed with protesters are iconic. Usually traffic flows through it normally now. Yesterday during a public holiday, the military sealed it off with a ring of soldiers and armored personnel carriers to prevent demonstrations. The Square was completely empty. For NPR news, I'm Merrit Kennedy in Cairo.

1 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

9 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

10 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

11 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

12 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

13 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

14 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

15 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

18 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

19 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

20 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞