VOA常速英语2008年-Exiled Equatorial Guinea Opposition Leader Arre

By Ricci Shryock
Dakar
16 April 2008

Less than a month before Equatorial Guinea's legislative¹ elections, exiled opposition² leader Severo Moto has been arrested in Spain on charges of trafficking arms to the oil-rich West African nation. Ricci Shryock interviewed Moto weeks before his arrest, as he shared his desires for the country.

Equatorial Guinea opposition leader Severo Moto was arrested late Monday near Madrid on charges of trafficking war weapons to Equatorial Guinea. The exiled politician has lived in Spain since 1982, where he heads the Party for Progress for Equatorial Guinea and attempts to thwart³ what he calls the dictatorial⁴ regime of current President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Legislative elections are set for early May in the West African country. Moto says the elections will be unfair, because Mr. Obiang forbids opposition.

"The Progress Party cannot go to the elections, because it is forbidden in Equatorial Guinea now. It is impossible to organize the opposition," said Moto.

Equatorial Guinea sentenced Moto to 62 years in prison for his alleged⁵ role in a failed coup⁶ against Mr. Obiang in 2004.

The West African government says Mark Thatcher⁷, the son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, helped fund the overthrow⁸ attempt on behalf of Moto.

Accused mastermind and British mercenary Simon Mann was also arrested in Zimbabwe earlier this year for his supposed role in the plot. Mann's lawyers say he is being held illegally in a jail in Equatorial Guinea.

Moto says this illegal detention⁹ is one example of how Mr. Obiang is an oppressive leader.

"In Equatorial Guinea at this very moment, there are too many important situations. People admit there is killing¹⁰ between them, and the situation of Simon Mann in the jail, and too many people are now persecuted¹¹ by Obiang," said Moto. "This is not the best way to go to the elections."

Berlin-based Transparency International ranks Equatorial Guinea in the top 10 of the most corrupt¹² states. Moto says Western governments interested in the country's oil reserves must intervene on behalf of the humanitarian¹³ rights of the country's citizens.

"There are three countries: Spain, France and America, because they're the main people who are interested in the economic situation of Equatorial Guinea. They have to open their hearts and see what's happening in Equatorial Guinea," he said.

Though Equatorial Guinea is sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil producer, much of the country's population lives in poverty.

1 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。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

4 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

5 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

6 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

7 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

9 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。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

12 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

13 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。