VOA标准英语2008年-Rwanda Asked to Explain Disappearance of Parlia

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
19 January 2008

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is calling on Rwanda to investigate the disappearance¹ of one of its members of parliament, Leonardo Hitimana. The Geneva-based group says the Rwandan government has never come up with a satisfactory explanation regarding Hitimana's disappearance five years ago.  Lisa Schlein reports from the Union's headquarters in Geneva.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union says it is very concerned about the fate of Rwandan parliamentarian Leonardo Hitimana, who supposedly disappeared in 2003. 

The Geneva-based organization offers a forum² for more than 140 national parliaments to discuss such issues as human rights and good governance.

Canadian Senator Sharon Carstairs chairs the IPU's Human Rights Committee. She says the Rwandan government has always taken the position that Hitimana left on his own and will return one day.

But, she notes, it is now five years later and Hitimana still has not appeared. She says the circumstances surrounding his case remain murky³ and urges the Rwandan government to mount an appropriate investigation⁴.

"Mr. Hitimana was supposed to make a presentation to the parliament of Rwanda and the night before he was to make that presentation, he disappeared," she noted⁵.  "That is why the Rwandan authorities indicate that he, of course, just simply left the country.  But, he has not appeared anywhere and our experience over the years is that if someone leaves within two or three years, they show up.  They show up in Belgium, they show up in Europe somewhere.  They show up in North America.  This man has not showed up."

Carstairs says demands for the Rwandan government to conduct a thorough investigation into the missing parliamentarian's disappearance have always been rejected.   

"There are many people in Rwanda who believe that he has been assassinated⁶," she added.  "And that he was assassinated because the government did not want to hear his testimony⁷ in parliament the next day.  So we are asking and we have asked consistently the Human Rights Council of Rwanda, we have invited the government of Rwanda to investigate this case.  But, five years has now gone by and I have to indicate that we see no thorough investigation of any taking place with respect to Mr. Hitimana." 

Rwanda is one of 31 countries cited by the IPU for violating the human rights of parliamentarians. A newly released report expresses grave concern about 11 parliamentarians who disappeared in Eritrea years ago without a trace. It says the government has offered no explanation.

The report notes eight parliamentarians currently are under arrest in Zimbabwe. It accuses the government of harassing⁸ and intimidating⁹ members of parliament on a regular basis. It says the usual pattern is for parliamentarians to be arrested, held for a period of time and then released without formal charges being leveled against them.

1 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

2 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句

9 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。