2006年VOA标准英语-Russia Confronts Rising Number of Killings

By Bill Gasperini
Moscow
13 April 2006

Russian police have arrested a suspect in the killing¹ of a student from Senegal last week - the latest in a series of attacks against foreigners and dark-skinned people in Russia. Criticism has been leveled at the authorities for failing to take strong action to confront the problem, amid signs that the issue is also being exploited for political reasons.

-----------------------------------------------

African student holds portrait of killed Senegalese student Lamzar Samba during protest in St. Petersburg, Russia,  April 11, 2006   
  

Russian prosecutors² have detained a suspect in the killing of 28-year-old Lampsar Sall, a fifth-year student at the State Communications University in Saint Petersburg.

Sall was shot in the neck as he left a popular nightclub with some friends, early Friday morning.

Police found a swastika painted on the murder weapon and, within hours, a neo-Nazi website applauded the murder, stating that "the clean-up of the city continues".

Sall's death was just the latest in a long series of incidents targeting Africans, Asians and non-Slavic peoples from inside Russia or other ex-Soviet republics.

Just two weeks ago, a girl of mixed Russian and African origin was wounded in a knife attack in Saint Petersburg, which has gained a reputation as the Russian city with the highest number of such incidents.

In one of the worst cases there, a nine-year-old girl from Tajikistan was beaten to death by skinheads, while walking with her family, two years ago.

Police have long been criticized for treating many such cases as acts of hooliganism, which carries a much lighter³ sentence when the perpetrators are arrested, which is not always the case.

So far this year, there have been seven killings⁴ and scores of injuries attributed to racist⁵ attacks, according to the SOVA Analytical⁶ Information Center in Moscow. There were 27 killings, last year.

Lyudmila Naruseva, a member of the Federation⁷ of Science, Culture, Education and Health in Saint Petersburg, asks how much more blood will be shed on city streets and how many more young girls will be attacked and killed. She calls for action against racism⁸ and fascism.

Vladimir Putin (file photo)  
  
President Vladimir Putin has told security agencies they must step up their efforts to combat what he calls "militant⁹ nationalism and xenophobia."

Analysts¹¹ say economic hardship and a sense of inferiority among young Russians account for much of the problem.

But there is also a political dimension in the run-up to parliament and presidential elections in two years.

Nikolai Petrov, a political analyst¹⁰ in Moscow, says this is not the first time politicians are playing the nationalist card.

He says what he calls "the central power" is using what he terms "the brown threat" to effect elections.

Russia has two nationalist parties in parliament, including one led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, known for statements many see as racist and anti-Semitic.

The second party got into trouble with the authorities last year, when it ran a television advertisement that called people from Azerbaijan "garbage."

Alexei Malashenko, who is with the Carnegie Center in Moscow, says the nationalist threat may also have an anti-Western aspect.

"Nationalism can be used for a kind of national idea, maybe turned against the West," he said. "It may perform a role or certain instrument for social consolidation¹². But, I think that in the future the activity of Russian nationalists may present a big danger for Russian political establishment."

Concern is now growing among the general public because of various high-profile cases.

In Moscow earlier this month, youths beat a television journalist from the southern Caucasus Mountain region.

Suspected skinheads in Moscow also severely¹³ wounded a prominent singer who is the culture minister of Kabardino-Balkaria, a republic in the Caucasus.

All of this adds to a climate of fear among the immigrant, foreign and student communities in Russia.

Back in Saint Petersburg, friends of Lampsar Sall gathered in their dormitory to discuss the situation. One asked the question that is likely to be on all of their minds: "Who might be next?"

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

3 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

4 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。

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。

7 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

8 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

9 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 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。

12 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

13 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。