2007年VOA标准英语-Freedom House Calls for Action on North Korean

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
06 June 2007

The human rights group Freedom House says North Korea has the worst human rights record in the world and is calling on the international community to take concrete legal action against Pyongyang.  VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.

Freedom House's Thomas Melia says for decades, his organization has compiled annual reports examining the human rights situation in countries around the world.

"Throughout the 36 years, the country that has consistently had the lowest scores in terms of political rights and civil liberties, in every one of those years running, is North Korea," he said.

Melia was speaking at a news conference in Washington Wednesday, where his group unveiled a new report that analyzes¹ the repression² in North Korea's political labor³ camp system.

Human rights groups accuse Pyongyang of a consistent pattern of subjecting North Koreans to political detention⁴, torture, forced malnutrition⁵ and other cruel and inhumane persecution⁶.

The report's author, international human rights activist⁷ David Hawk⁸, has experience investigating atrocities⁹ in Cambodia and Rwanda.  He says he believes the severity of the situation in North Korea puts it on par¹⁰ with other human rights cases that may be better known.

"While the report takes a formal, legalistic approach, we would like to make the point that the North Korean violations¹¹ are up there with the Srbrenicas, the Rwandas, the Cambodias, the Sierra Leones, when it comes to the worst situations of human rights violations taking place in the world today," he said.
 
Hawk called for the United Nations to take legal action against North Korea.  Lawyer David Scheffer, who wrote the report's foreword, said the first step would be to formally raise North Korea's human rights record at the U.N. Security Council. 

"It would not be as difficult, I think, to work through the Security Council, the notion of creating a commission of inquiry¹² on North Korea, as a preliminary step to serious consideration by the Council of a criminal referral to the ICC," he said.

The ICC is the International Criminal Court, which was set up in 2002 at the Hague.

Scheffer said he believes the human rights violations in North Korea meet international definitions for crimes against humanity.

"It's a no brainer," he added.  "Thresholds are crossed."

Scheffer said the basic requirement for international criminal cases is that there be widespread or systematic¹³ attacks against civilians¹⁴.  He says North Korea fits the definition on both counts.

1 analyzes   

v.分析( analyze的第三人称单数 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• This approach analyzes management by studying experience usually through cases. 这个学派通常从实例获得经验，用以分析管理。 来自辞典例句
• The econometrician analyzes statistical data. 经济计量学者要分析统计材料。 来自辞典例句

2 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

3 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。

4 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。

5 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

6 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

7 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。

8 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

9 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

11 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

12 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

13 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

14 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。