VOA慢速英语2014 Indian Diplomat Seeks Dismissal of US Criminal Charges 印度外交官寻求美国解除对其刑事指控

 

Indian Diplomat¹ Seeks Dismissal of US Criminal Charges 印度外交官寻求美国解除对其刑事指控

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

This week, a lawyer for an Indian diplomat asked a court in the United States to dismiss immigration and employment charges against her.  Devyani Khobragade served as Deputy Counsel General at India’s consulate² in New York City.  She is accused of making false statements when she sought permission to bring an Indian national to the US to serve as her housekeeper³.  She also is charged with paying the woman less than the lowest wage permitted under US law.

The case has angered a lot of people in India and led to anti-American demonstrations⁴.  The dispute began when US police arrested Ms. Khobragade last month after she dropped off her daughter at school.  Police searched the 39-year-old diplomat for weapons possibly hidden inside her clothing.  They forced her to wear handcuffs.  Later, she was jailed in a room with drug suspects.

Ms. Khobragade was released after a court appearance. 

The judge agreed to free the diplomat in exchange for her promise to return for trial and a bail⁵ payment of $250,000.  Ms. Khobragade told the court she was not guilty of the charges.  She is accused of paying the housekeeper less than two dollars an hour and making her work as many as 100 hours a week.  In official documents, she promised to pay $4,500 in monthly wages to the housekeeper.  Instead, the woman received only $537 a month.

Some Indians have described the diplomat’s treatment by police as shameful⁶.  Salman Khurshid is India’s Foreign Minister.

“We feel a very extreme level of distress⁷ in terms of human element that is involved.”

Another official, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, cancelled his meeting with a five-member US congressional delegation⁸.  But the diplomatic dispute did not end there.  The Indian government asked the US embassy to withdraw one of its officers.  It also removed security barriers from outside the embassy, ordered a suspension of some diplomatic activities, and took back airport passes.

An American law professor says India’s government has overreacted.  Thomas McDonnell teaches at Pace University Law School. 

“The idea of removing the concrete barriers in front of our embassy that protect our ambassador and other officials from a terrorist attack seems extraordinarily⁹ out of proportion.”

US officials say New York police followed standard rules in making the arrest.  One question is whether Devyani Khobragade had special rights as a diplomat.  But a State Department official said she did not have the top level of diplomatic immunity¹⁰. 

American media and other groups have been following the case.  Jo Becker works for Human Rights Watch.

“The diplomat has been charged with a felony and there has been a big uproar¹¹ over her treatment.  But the controversy¹² had completely overshadowed the exploitation of her employee and similar abuses against millions of domestic workers that happen worldwide every single day”.

Ms. Becker noted¹³ that Secretary of State John Kerry called a top Indian official to express regret over the incident.  Yet US officials say the charges against Ms. Khobragade will not be dropped, and that she would face them if she returns.

 

And that’s In The News from VOA Learning English.  I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 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。

3 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

4 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。

5 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

6 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

7 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

8 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

9 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

10 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

11 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

12 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。