2006年VOA标准英语-US Human Rights Record Under UN Scrutiny

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
17 July 2006

Protesters perform a stage setting of Guantanamo in front of UN Human Rights Committee headquarters in Geneva, July 17, 2006   
  
Washington's record on treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, alleged¹ secret prisons, and the juvenile² justice system are some of the issues that will come under international scrutiny³ during the next two days. The U.N. Human Rights Committee will examine U.S. compliance⁴ with the International Covenant⁵ on Civil and Political Rights.

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The U.S. report is more than seven years overdue⁶ and the examination promises to be intense and thorough. A high-powered legal team has come from Washington prepared to answer 25 questions drawn⁷ up to gauge⁸ how well the United States protects the civil and political rights of its citizens.

The State Department's Principal Deputy Director for Policy Planning, Matthew Waxman, says the United States takes its obligations under the Human Rights Covenant seriously and is proud of the nation's efforts to promote civil, political and human rights at home and abroad.

"Few countries in the world could claim greater protections. For example, speech, press, association, or religion than the United States," said Waxman. "The United States also historically promotes these same values around the world and continues to do so as part of the President's freedom agenda."

This hearing will give the committee's 18 human-rights experts their first opportunity to examine Washington's post 9/11 policies.

Human Rights Watch representative Alison Parker says she expects the Committee will question the United States about its controversial practice of sending terror suspects to their home countries, where they might face torture.

"The United States continues to take the position that diplomatic assurances, that means promises from governments which have a record of torture or human-rights abuse are sufficient to protect against that torture," noted⁹ Parker.

Parker says there are many documented cases where people have been subjected to torture despite diplomatic assurances to the contrary.

The State Department Deputy Director of War Crimes Issues, Sandra Hodgkinson, says about 140 people detained in Guantanemo Bay are slated¹⁰ for release. She says diplomatic assurances are one tool used to determine whether or not an individual can be sent back to his home country.

"It is important in this context to recognize that we do have to reach an agreement with the third country, the host nation of the country that is satisfactory that they will first not pose a future threat to Americans or our allies," commented Hodgkinson. "And second most importantly that it will not run afoul of our fundamental policy that we do not transfer people to a location where it is more likely than not that they will be tortured."

A coalition¹¹ of 142 organizations has presented the U.N. Committee with a list of more than 100 alleged human-rights abuses in the United States.

Consultant¹² for that coalition, Eric Tars¹³, says the single biggest issue that affects all the others is that of U.S. exceptionalism.

"This concept that the U.S. does not have to play by the same rules that it asks the entire rest of the world to play by," he said. "This is manifested most obviously right now in the cases of Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan and the war on terror."

The Bush Administration has placed the U.S. detention¹⁴ facilities at Guantanamo Bay and in Afghanistan under the rules of the Geneva Convention.

But other contentious¹⁵ issues expected to arise include the practice, in some jurisdictions¹⁶, of sentencing child offenders¹⁷ to life sentences without the possibility of parole, immigration policies, human-rights violations¹⁸ around Hurricane Katrina, and post 9/11 national security policies.

1 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

2 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

3 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

4 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

5 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

6 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

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 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

9 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。

10 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

13 tars   

焦油，沥青，柏油( tar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Around 280 degrees C, Volatile gases and flammable tars are released. 在大约摄氏280度，挥发性的气体和可燃焦被放出。
• Tars could be seen walking towards the harbor. 可以看到水手正在走向港口。

14 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

15 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

16 jurisdictions   

司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围

参考例句：

• Butler entreated him to remember the act abolishing the heritable jurisdictions. 巴特勒提醒他注意废除世袭审判权的国会法令。
• James I personally adjudicated between the two jurisdictions. 詹姆士一世亲自裁定双方纠纷。

17 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

18 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。