2006年VOA标准英语-Apartheid Human Rights Abusers to Face Pun

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
31 January 2006

South Africa's National Prosecuting¹ Authority says it is ready to prosecute² people who were refused or failed to apply to the Truth and Reconciliation³ Commission for amnesty for apartheid-era human rights crimes. While some apartheid leaders may be charged, thousands more who perpetrated gross human rights violations⁴ are unlikely to face justice.

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About 5,400 applications for amnesty were denied by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the end of its work in 2003. More than 7,000 applications were received.

It is not known how many people who could have applied⁵, did not. But the National Prosecuting Authority is ready to prosecute just five people, with 15 more cases likely to follow.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was launched in late 1995 to deal with cases of gross human rights violations committed in pursuit of political goals during the last three decades of apartheid, which ended in 1994.

The work of the commission was divided in two - the first process entailed⁶ hearings into human rights violations, and the second was an amnesty process. There was no distinction drawn⁷ between acts committed to uphold apartheid or in the struggle against it. But the overwhelming number of cases heard by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, involved acts in support of apartheid.

The National Prosecuting Authority is tightlipped about which cases will be heard first, but there is widespread speculation⁸ they will involve some of the most notorious applicants⁹ turned down by the commission, such as former security policeman Gideon Nieuwoudt, who was involved in the murder of prominent activist¹⁰ Steve Biko and several others in the eastern Cape¹¹.

There is also speculation that charges might be brought against some apartheid leaders, such as former president P.W. Botha, under whose leadership some of the worst apartheid atrocities¹² occurred. He set up a parallel system of government, known as Stratcom, which bypassed parliament and gave unprecedented¹³ power to a shadowy network of security and intelligence officers.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu  
  
Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu, who headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, told VOA that the commission was a magnanimous initiative in pursuit of reconciliation, adding that it would be travesty¹⁴ of justice if apartheid leaders who failed to seek amnesty, now escaped prosecution¹⁵.

"Nothing is more painful to [the victims] than to see people strutting¹⁶ around South Africa whom they know had violated their rights, whom they know were perpetrators of some of the most awful, most gruesome atrocities, seeing walking around, many of them living lives of opulence¹⁷ and the victims have got nothing really in exchange for their generosity¹⁸ and magnanimity," he said.

In approving the legal framework earlier this month, parliament noted¹⁹ that such apartheid-related prosecutions²⁰ may become a feature of South African jurisprudence for the foreseeable future. But National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Makhosini Nkosi told VOA that it is unlikely that cases will be brought where there are no living witnesses, where the alleged²¹ perpetrator is very old or ill, or where evidence no longer exists.

"But having said that, essentially²² it will be about the availability of evidence and whether there are reasonable prospects²³ of a successful prosecution," noted Nkosi. "If we do have such circumstances, then we would proceed definitely with prosecution."

And evidence may be hard to come by in hundreds, if not thousands, of cases. In the months prior to the end of apartheid, tons of documents were destroyed across the country by government agencies and departments, including the police and military.

And in addition to cases that cannot be successfully prosecuted²⁴, the National Prosecuting Authority has authority to decline prosecution where it considers the case might result in political instability, or whether it might cause victims or their surviving families additional suffering.

Some of these criteria²⁵ are similar to those which governed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but spokesman Nkosi says that unlike cases decided²⁶ by the commission, victims or family members are not prohibited from taking the case further if the Authority decides against prosecution.

"But in those cases, victims or families of victims, can in terms of our law, apply to national director of public prosecutions for a private prosecution, we will give them the right to conduct private prosecutions if they think they can succeed," he added. "Over and above that they can pursue civil claims. So its not only a question of criminal prosecutions, there are other remedies that victims or families of victims can pursue."

While the records of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are in the public domain²⁷, the National Prosecuting Authority may not use them as evidence in prosecuting cases now. But Nkosi says that they can be used to guide current investigations²⁸.

Despite all of this, analysts²⁹ suggest that fewer than 100 cases will be brought before the courts ... prompting some South Africans to comment that they can be no more than symbolic³⁰. But Archbishop Tutu, fondly known in South Africa as The Arch, told VOA symbolism can also be a powerful influence.

"Symbols are not things to sniff³¹ at, you know," he said. "As I say, if especially the big fish who did not come before the commission, or who escaped the other net, if some of those big fish can in fact be brought to book in an open process, then it will be I think, sufficient, and people will be aware that you could not do everything."

Archbishop Tutu says despite some shortcomings the overall Truth and Reconciliation process can be seen as a success and a key element in ensuring South Africa's peaceful transition during the past 11 years.

1 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

2 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

3 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 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。

6 entailed   

使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son. 城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
• The house and estate are entailed on the eldest daughter. 这所房子和地产限定由长女继承。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

9 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

10 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

11 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

12 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

14 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。

15 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

16 strutting   

加固，支撑物

参考例句：

• He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle. 他也是非常自大，在城堡里大摇大摆地走。
• The pompous lecturer is strutting and forth across the stage. 这个演讲者在台上趾高气扬地来回走着。

17 opulence   

n.财富，富裕

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence.他从未见过这样的财富。
• He owes his opulence to work hard.他的财富乃辛勤工作得来。

18 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

19 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。

20 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

21 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

22 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

23 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

24 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

25 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

26 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

27 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

28 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

29 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

30 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

31 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。