2007年VOA标准英语-Human Rights Watch Says Guantanamo Undermines U

By David Gollust
State Department
06 March 2007

The head of the New York-based group Human Rights Watch says detention¹-without-trial and other practices in the war on terrorism have undermined U.S. credibility on human-rights issues. Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth spoke² to VOA in connection with Tuesday's release of the State Department's annual report on human rights conditions worldwide. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

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Protesters dressed as Guantanamo detainees demonstrate in front of Manhattan Supreme Court, 11 Jan. 2007

The Human Rights Watch chief says while the United States has never been active enough in working to end rights abuses cited in the State Department reports, the problem has been compounded by U.S. rights practices that undermine American credibility on the issue.

In a VOA interview, Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth said there is still value in the annual reports as a resource in identifying human-rights problems.

He said the United States, as a vigorous democracy, can legitimately⁴ challenge such things as abuses in Darfur and infringements⁵ on press freedoms and civil liberties abroad.

But Roth said the problem of hypocrisy⁶ emerges on other rights issues, with the United States holding terror suspects without trial at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and perhaps elsewhere, and tolerating coercive interrogation techniques.

"It is very difficult for the U.S. government today to condemn⁷ a government for the use of torture, when the CIA itself has tortured people using techniques such as water-boarding in the secret CIA detention facilities," Roth said. "Similarly it is hard for the U.S. government to protest against the detention of somebody without trial, when it has hundreds of people held for up to five years in Guantanamo with a trial only a distant hope."

Roth criticized Bush administration plans to try terror suspects through military commissions, a concept he said fell well short of accepted judicial⁸ standards and which he predicted would eventually be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

He said at least some of the U.S. detainees have probably committed serious crimes and deserve to be brought to trial. But he said they should be trials in which the defendant⁹ is allowed to challenge all the evidence and testimony¹⁰ against him, and in which hearsay¹¹ evidence is invalid¹².

As to the Guantanamo facility, which has housed terrorism suspects since early 2002, Roth said that should be shut down outright¹³.

"Guantanamo should simply be closed," he said. "I mean it has become a symbol of injustice¹⁴. It is a scar on America's reputation around the world. And there is no reason what anyone should continue to be held there. People should either be tried before a fair and proper tribunal or they should be released."

Late last month, Human Rights Watch sent U.S. Congressional leaders a letter urging 10 steps it said would restore U.S. moral authority on human rights while still allowing an effective counterterrorism strategy.

At the top of the list was the restoration of the right of habeas corpus, ensuring that all those held by the United States are allowed to challenge their detention in court.

Human Rights Watch further called for a Congressional ban on the practice of rendition - the transfer of U.S. terror suspects to other countries where they could face torture. Human Rights Watch also urged the closeure of any secret detention facilities, a ban on abusive interrogations, and full respect for the Geneva Conventions regarding prisoners of war.

Roth said damage to U.S. prestige is not irreversible and said if the steps his organization proposes are taken it would go a long way toward redeeming¹⁵ America's moral authority.

1 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。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 legitimately   

ad.合法地；正当地，合理地

参考例句：

• The radio is legitimately owned by the company. 该电台为这家公司所合法拥有。
• She looked for nothing save what might come legitimately and without the appearance of special favour. 她要的并不是男人们的额外恩赐，而是合法正当地得到的工作。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 infringements   

n.违反( infringement的名词复数 )；侵犯，伤害

参考例句：

• It'seems to me we've got to decide on wider issues than possible patent infringements. 我认为我们不能只考虑侵犯专利可能性这一问题，要对更大的一些问题做出决策。 来自企业管理英语口语（第二版）(2)
• Wikipedia relies on its users to correct errors and spot copyright infringements. 维基百科主要依靠用户来纠正错误，并发现版权侵权行为。 来自互联网

6 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

7 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

10 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

11 hearsay   

n.谣传，风闻

参考例句：

• They started to piece the story together from hearsay.他们开始根据传闻把事情的经过一点点拼湊起来。
• You are only supposing this on hearsay.You have no proof.你只是根据传闻想像而已，并没有证据。

12 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

13 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

14 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

15 redeeming   

补偿的，弥补的

参考例句：

• I found him thoroughly unpleasant, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. 我觉得他一点也不讨人喜欢，没有任何可取之处。
• The sole redeeming feature of this job is the salary. 这份工作唯其薪水尚可弥补一切之不足。