2006年VOA标准英语-Iran Releases Imprisoned Journalist

By Margaret Besheer
Washington
18 March 2006

 
Akbar Ganji has been set free after spending six years in prison
  

Iran's most prominent dissident, journalist Akbar Ganji, has been released from prison, after serving a six-year sentence for publishing articles that angered the authorities.

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Prison authorities returned Akbar Ganji to his home north of Tehran late Friday night. 

His release came as a surprise to his wife and friends, many of whom gathered at the journalist's home Saturday to celebrate his release.  Although visibly more frail¹, Ganji appeared in good spirits.

Ganji's release was not expected until March 30. A statement from the Iranian judiciary says he was freed for the Persian New Year holiday, which begins Tuesday and runs through April third.

His lawyer, Yusef Molai, told VOA's Persian service that it was unclear whether he would be taken back into custody² for a few days.

Lawyer Molai added that Ganji has lost a lot of weight and has some health issues, and would seek medical treatment.

Ganji was imprisoned³ in 2001, after publishing a series of articles alleging⁴ that top Iranian officials were linked to the murders of political dissidents in the late 1990s.  He spent much of his prison term in solitary⁵ confinement⁶, and was on a hunger strike last year for several months.

Reporters Without Borders, which followed his case closely and issued appeals for his freedom, said Ganji's release is a positive thing for the freedom of press in Iran, but expressed concern for other political prisoners in the Islamic Republic.

"We hope that the other prisoners that are in Iranian prisons will be released very soon," said Reporters Without Borders Middle East and North Africa desk officer Lynn Tehini.

Tehini said that Reporters Without Borders spoke⁷ with Ganji after his release, and he wanted to thank everyone in the international community and human rights groups who supported him while he was in prison.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department, which has repeatedly called for Ganji's release, issued a statement urging Iranian authorities to free the journalist, saying his sentence was supposed to end on March 17. The State Department also called on Tehran's government to end what it called its "abuse of the fundamental freedoms of Iran's citizens."

1 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

4 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

5 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

6 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。