2006年VOA标准英语-Iran, US Fight to Protect Artifiacts

By Jeff Swicord
Washington, DC
19 September 2006

watch Iranian Artifact Suit

It is a case that has victims of a terrorist bombing seeking restitution¹ from a U.S. museum, and the U.S. State Department and the government of Iran on the same side.  Jeff Swicord reports on an unusual legal case pending² before Federal Court in Chicago.

 
Twenty-five hundred-year-old archeological artifacts from a dig at the ancient Persian city of Persepolis in modern day Iran.  For 70 years they have been on loan to the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute.  Here, linguists³ have been working to translate the text inscribed⁴ on them written in an obscure ancient language. 

 
Gil Stein
Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute, says the artifacts are an important piece of Persian society. "They have proved to be one of the most valuable ways for understanding how the Persian Empire actually worked.  It is the only archive surviving from that time."

The tablets have become embroiled⁵ in an unusual legal case that pits cultural heritage against victim's rights.   Under a recent U.S. terrorism statute⁶, victims of a 1997 Hamas bombing in Jerusalem won a judgment⁷ against the government of Iran, a known supporter of Hamas. 

 
The law allows U.S. citizens victimized by terrorism to seize the assets of governments who are found to have lent material or financial support.  Victims of the Jerusalem bombing have targeted the priceless tablets as partial restitution.  And museums and universities around the world are deeply concerned.

Patrick Clawson is Deputy Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He testified for the plaintiffs in the Jerusalem bombing case.  He says confiscating⁸ items of cultural heritage from another country may not be good public policy, but it is the law. "I'm sure that they find it outrageous⁹ that something they have controlled for 70 years suddenly might be taken away from them.

"No one is proposing to smash them, the question is who is going to own them?  No one is proposing to take them away from public display, no one is proposing to put them in a kiln¹⁰ and burn them, the question is: who is going to own them?"

Lawyers for the plaintiffs say Iran need not forfeit¹¹ its tablets; all it has to do is pay the judgment.

 
Patrick Clawson
According to Patrick Clawson the case would not have gotten this far if the Iranian government had taken the steps to defend itself in court.  The government of Iran has $6 billion in judgments¹² pending against it in U.S. courts -- more than any other country in the world.  And as a general policy it has refused to acknowledge the jurisdiction¹³ of U.S. courts.

"In general, foreign governments have great immunity¹⁴ in the U.S. court.  Great immunity in the U.S. courts (against suits) brought by individuals.  And it would not in fact surprise me that when Iran shows up in a U.S. courtroom that it can indeed assert those immunities¹⁵ from lawsuits¹⁶, and protect these assets."

In a recent twist, the government of Iran plans to do just that.  The Iranians have hired a Washington law firm to represent them in Federal Court in Chicago. 

Museum directors around the world like Gil Stein are confident the priceless collection will be kept intact. "These are things that must be protected.  That's our responsibility to future generations.  Two hundred years from now people are not going to remember the details of a particular political struggle.  But they will remember if these items are passed on."

1 restitution   

n.赔偿；恢复原状

参考例句：

• It's only fair that those who do the damage should make restitution.损坏东西的人应负责赔偿，这是再公平不过的了。
• The victims are demanding full restitution.受害人要求全额赔偿。

2 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

3 linguists   

n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 )；语言学家

参考例句：

• The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
• The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句

4 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 confiscating   

没收（confiscate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• There was Mame by my side confiscating my intellects and attention. 有玛米坐在我身边，害得我心不在焉。
• Intimidate book sellers by confiscating books deemed unfavourable to the Barisan government. 充公被视为对国阵不利的书籍，威胁书商。

9 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

10 kiln   

n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑

参考例句：

• That morning we fired our first kiln of charcoal.那天上午，我们烧了我们的第一窑木炭。
• Bricks are baked in a kiln.砖是在窑里烧成的。

11 forfeit   

vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物

参考例句：

• If you continue to tell lies,you will forfeit the good opinion of everyone.你如果继续撒谎，就会失掉大家对你的好感。
• Please pay for the forfeit before you borrow book.在你借书之前请先付清罚款。

12 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

13 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

14 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

15 immunities   

免除，豁免( immunity的名词复数 )； 免疫力

参考例句：

• Supplying nutrients and immunities to my baby? 为我的宝贝提供营养物质和免疫物质？
• And these provide immunities against the a host of infections and diseases. 这些物质可提高婴儿的免疫力，使之免受病毒感染和疾病侵袭。

16 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句