VOA常速英语2007年-Amnesty Urges Governments Not to Extradite Geno

By Tendai Maphosa
London
02 November 2007

Amnesty International urged governments on Friday not to send anyone suspected of crimes during Rwanda's 1994 genocide to be tried in the country, saying it has serious concerns about the justice system. From London, Tendai Maphosa filed this report for VOA.

Amnesty International said in a report Friday that despite improvements in the Rwandan justice system, it has serious concerns about Kigali's ability to investigate and prosecute¹ genocide-related crimes fairly, impartially² and in line with international standards.

In June, Rwanda abolished the death penalty hoping it would clear the way for countries that object to capital punishment to extradite suspects. Rwanda has since asked that suspects in the 100-day slaughter³ of 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus be transferred to its custody⁴.

The most high-profile genocide cases are being tried by the U.N.-backed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, or ICTR, in the Tanzanian city of Arusha.

 

Amnesty International's Jonathan O'Donaghue outlines the steps the Rwandan government needs to take before suspects can be transferred to Rwanda for trial.

"We have highlighted three main issues," said O'Donaghue. "Firstly, we have concerns about the right to a fair trial within Rwanda, secondly⁵ the risk of torture and cruel inhuman⁶ and degrading treatment including prison conditions which are appalling⁷. And thirdly is the ability of the systems that are in place to ensure that victims and witnesses that take part in criminal prosecutions⁸ are provided with full protection and support."

Amnesty also urged the ICTR not to turn over pending⁹ cases to Kigali when the court's mandate¹⁰ expires in 2010.

 

The International Criminal Tribunal was created in 1994 by the U.N. Security Council. The court has tried 27 cases and handed down 22 convictions.

 

Amnesty also urged the ICTR not to transfer any of its cases to Rwanda until the government can demonstrate that trials will be conducted according to international standards.

The rights group also expressed concern over trials within Rwanda's community-based gacaca courts, which it says has cast doubt on the nation's justice system.

Rwanda started using the gacaca courts in 2001, where alleged¹¹ participants in the genocide are tried in their home villages because the nation's regular courts were overwhelmed attempting to try tens of thousands of suspects who allegedly committed genocide.

Amnesty says countries in which genocide suspects are living, such as Britain, France and Canada, should try the suspects themselves.

 

Rwanda's Prosecutor¹² General Martin Ngoga has condemned¹³ Amnesty's statement saying he will accept criticism of Rwanda's legal system if it comes through legitimate¹⁴ channels. He called Amnesty's statement poorly researched and said it does not allow Rwanda to rebut¹⁵ the allegations in a court of law.

1 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

2 impartially   

adv.公平地，无私地

参考例句：

• Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
• We hope that they're going to administer justice impartially. 我们希望他们能主持正义，不偏不倚。

3 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

4 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。

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

7 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

8 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

9 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。

10 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

11 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

12 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

13 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

14 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

15 rebut   

v.辩驳，驳回

参考例句：

• He attempted to rebut the assertions made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳控方证人所作的断言。
• This open letter is to rebut the argument of abstractionism.这封公开信是反驳抽象派论点的。