2006年VOA标准英语-Amnesty Spotlights Human Rights Abuses in Sri L

By Catherine Maddux
Washingtion
12 December 2006

In the latest edition of its magazine, the human rights group Amnesty International focuses attention on the status of human rights in three countries: Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sri Lanka. VOA's Catherine Maddux reports.

 
Thousands of refugees fled the fighting between government soldiers and the Tamil Tiger rebels even as the town of Muttur came under shell fire, 4 Aug 2006
Amnesty International devotes the cover of the winter edition of its magazine to the decades-long conflict in Sri Lanka and its impact on civilians². Other articles in international rights groups' magazine tell the story of rights abuses in Iran and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Amnesty says this year alone, more than 2,000 people -- mostly civilians -- have been killed in fighting between Sri Lankan government forces and ethnic³ Tamil Tiger rebels. Another 200,000 have been displaced.

Mona Dave from Amnesty's Government Relations office says the conflict in Sri Lanka has been marked by years of human rights violations⁴ committed by the government, Tamil Tiger rebels - known as the LTTE - and other armed groups.

She says civilians often take the brunt of the abuses.

"Neither the government forces nor the LTTE have taken adequate precautions to protect civilian¹ lives," she said.

"Political killings⁵ and abductions have been on the rise and cases of disappearance⁷ have increased. And child recruitment continues to be a large problem in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Amnesty International is concerned about reports of food shortages and other provisions in the north and east of Sri Lanka," she added.

Dave said Amnesty is calling on the Sri Lankan government to establish a strong international monitoring operation with powers to investigate abuses as they occur.

 
On Iran, Zahir Janmohamed, also from Amnesty's government relation's office, says the rhetoric⁸ between the United States and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regarding his country's nuclear program has overshadowed human rights issues within Iran.

Janmohamed says abuses against minorities, women, and reform-minded politicians have worsened since last year's elections.

He said, "In a report launched on February 20th, 2006, Amnesty International reported an intensification⁹ of repression¹⁰ within the first six months after President Ahmadinejad took office, including the frequent use of the death penalty and torture, persecution¹¹ of ethnic and religious minorities and limitation on freedom of speech."

 
Violence Has Marked Campaign Period in the DRC
Amnesty says in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recent democratic elections - the first since independence 46 years ago - may have brought hope but severe human rights abuses continue, particularly against women.

Lynn Fredriksson is Amnesty's advocacy director for Africa.

She said, "Across the country, particularly in the eastern Congo, armed groups systematically¹² used sexual violence against women, abduct⁶ and re-recruit child soldiers and attack and intimidate¹³ reporters and human rights defenders¹⁴ in urban and rural areas alike."

"In fact, without continuing support for the U.N. mission in the Congo, MONUC, armed violence against civilians would re-escalate," she continued.

She adds that Amnesty is waiting for Congo's newly elected president, Joseph Kabila, to show he will respect the human rights of his citizens.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

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 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 abduct   

vt.诱拐，拐带，绑架

参考例句：

• The police caught the man who tried to abduct the boy for ransom.警察抓住了那个企图拐走这男孩以便勒索赎金的家伙。
• The news that we see those use network abduct children sometimes filled with apprehension.我们有时看到那些利用网络诱拐儿童的新闻都心惊肉跳。

7 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

8 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

9 intensification   

n.激烈化，增强明暗度；加厚

参考例句：

• The intensification of the immunological response represents the body's natural defense. 增强免疫反应代表身体的自然保卫。 来自辞典例句
• Agriculture in the developing nations is not irreversibly committed, to a particular pattern of intensification. 发展中国家的农业并没有完全为某种集约化形式所束缚。 来自辞典例句

10 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

11 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

12 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

13 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

14 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》