VOA常速英语2007年-Lawyer: Zoe's Ark Members to Be Tried in Chadia

By Jade¹ Heilmann
Dakar
10 December 2007

A lawyer involved in the case of the six French charity workers detained in Chad on suspicion of trying to illegally fly 103 children to Europe, has said they will be tried in a criminal court in Chad. Several Chadians are also facing attempted kidnapping charges. Jade Heilmann has more from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

The six members of the French aid group Zoe's Ark face charges including attempted kidnapping, fraud, and the forgery² of documents. They were part of the group of 17 Europeans arrested in the northern city of Abeche for allegedly trying to smuggle³ 103 children to France.

They have been detained in Chad since their arrest in late October.

The remaining 11 suspects, including Spanish crew members of the chartered plane, were previously⁴ released.

Their lawyer, Jean Bernard Padare, says their charges with the Chadian courts were dropped.

If found guilty, the six detainees face hard labor⁵ sentences. Frustrated⁶ with both the French and Chadian governments, the group started a hunger strike Friday.

As Padare explains, the aid workers say the Chadian judge is not taking their arguments into consideration. Padare also says they feel they have been neglected by the French government.

Officials from Zoe's Ark argue the aid workers wanted to fly orphans⁷ from the war-torn Darfur, the Sudanese region bordering Chad, for adoption⁸ by French families. But humanitarian⁹ organizations say most children had at least one parental¹⁰ guardian¹¹, and that many of them were Chadian and not from Darfur.

A French activist¹² on Franco-African issues, Sharon Courtoux, does not think there is anything left for the French government to do.

She says, at this point, it is difficult for the French government to intervene in Chadian justice, and the group will have to wait for a decision from the court.

Four Chadians involved in the apparent adoption scheme also face criminal charges. A court date for the trial of the accused French and Chadian has not yet been set.

1 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

2 forgery   

n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为）

参考例句：

• The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
• He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。

3 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

8 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

11 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

12 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。