2007年VOA标准英语-UN Says Central Asian Countries Violate Human R

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
07 May 2007

Commissioner1 for Human Rights, informs journalists after return from her visit to Central Asia, 07 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070604/1409450.jpg" width="152" vspace="2" border="0" />

Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, informs journalists after return from her visit to Central Asia, 07 May 2007

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, says countries in Central Asia continue to use the war on terrorism as an excuse to violate the human rights of their citizens. Arbour has just returned from a two-week visit to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA on a news conference given by the High Commissioner on her return to Geneva.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, says government officials in all the Central Asian countries she visited expressed concern over, what they call, extremism, terrorism, and separatism. She says they used these security concerns as reasons for maintaining tight state control over civic² activities.

"The question of combating extremism and terrorism is always put forward as a justification³ for having, very strong executive, a very robust⁴ law enforcement," she said.  "Whatever human-rights issue I raised, I am always told, 'Well the United States do not bother with that, so why should we," access to detention⁵ centers, visits by special rapporteurs [investigators⁶]. Now, in a lot of cases, they are actually wrong in the factual assertions."

But Arbour says these governments do not know which people have access to terror suspects held in Guantanemo Bay, nor do they know the conditions and circumstances under which special U.N. investigators are invited to examine alleged⁷ human-rights abuse in the United States.

"Again, I think it is symptomatic of a perception that human-rights standards worldwide have been lowered and therefore that we should not be making unreasonable⁸ expectations particularly of countries that do not have a lot of capacities, when others that do, have lowered their international standard expectations," added Arbour.  "That argument is present in virtually all meetings."

The High Commissioner says Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan do not have the kind of free press that allows human rights to flourish. She says they are all characterized by having a strong executive branch, a weak legislative⁹ branch, and an even weaker judicial¹⁰ branch.

She says she urged government officials to reform their judicial systems, including law enforcement and criminal procedures. She says these elements and an independent judiciary are necessary for the protection of human rights.

Arbour says one of the main purposes of her visit was to get agreement for the establishment of a Regional Office for Central Asia, which could monitor human rights and advise and assist countries on how to improve their human-rights records. She says the governments were positive to this idea.

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

3 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

4 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

5 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。

6 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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

8 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

9 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

10 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。