VOA标准英语2009年-Government, Kenya Human Rights Commiss

The International Criminal Court is widely expected to announce that it will open investigations² to identify and prosecute³ the main perpetrators of post-election violence in Kenya.

Cathy Majtenyi | Nairobi 15 December 2009

Post-election violence in Kenya

In the agonizing⁴ months following the disputed December 2007 elections, more than 1,200 Kenyans lost their lives, some 600,000 people were displaced, and millions of dollars' worth of property was destroyed.

The two main presidential candidates signed a power-sharing agreement at the end of February 2008.

The power-sharing deal led to commitments to stop the violence immediately, overcome the political crisis, promote reconciliation⁵ and healing, and implement⁶ long-term government and security reforms.

A government body known as the Waki Commission released a report in late 2008 calling for Kenyan authorities to set up a Special Tribunal to investigate the post-election violence and bring perpetrators to justice, or hand the case over to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The first part of 2009 saw lawmakers argue about, and eventually reject, the Special Tribunal.

Mwalimu Mati is executive director of the government watchdog, Mars Group Kenya:

"When we look at the Waki Commission [and] the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights' investigation¹ into post-election violence, both of them describe a situation in which high-level politicians, aspects of the business elite⁷, prominent Kenyans really, are the organizers, the financiers, and the masterminds behind the post-election violence," he said.

The ICC kept a keen eye on events unfolding in Kenya.

In July, a high-level Kenyan government delegation⁸ met with ICC Prosecutor⁹ Luis Moreno-Ocampo in The Hague and set September 30 as the deadline to set up the Special Tribunal.

Around the same time, power-sharing mediator¹⁰ and former United Nations chief Kofi Annan handed Moreno-Ocampo a sealed envelope with the names of top suspects.

The deadline to set up the Special Tribunal came and went.
 
Government spokesman Alfred Mutua says the failure to set up the tribunal was due more to technical errors than lack of political will.

"To tell you the truth, the government is not very pleased with the whole idea of the ICC taking over the prosecutions," he explained.  "This is because as a country we should be able to manage our own internal affairs."

Mars Group Kenya's Mati disagrees.

"In order to accept that there will be accountability through the Special Tribunal, the government has to sacrifice some of its members or make them subject to domestic court proceedings," he said.  "This is a political sacrifice they are unwilling¹¹ to make."

On November 26, Moreno-Ocampo announced he would ask ICC judges to open investigations to identify and prosecute high-level perpetrators.  Earlier that week, he invited victims of the post-election violence to submit their testimonies¹² to the ICC.

"These alleged¹³ crimes were part of a widespread systematic¹⁴ attack against the Kenyan civilian¹⁵ population," he said.

ICC involvement is good news for Kenya, says Muthoni Wanyeki, executive director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

"I think it sends a very, very powerful message to those who are involved in the violence at all levels that this is not going to go away, that the survivors¹⁶' needs must be paramount¹⁷, and that there will be an accounting," she said.

Mars Group Kenya's Mati says he thinks the domestic judicial¹⁸ system is unable to handle all the cases of post-election violence.

He says referring high-level cases to the ICC and setting up the Special Tribunal will speed up delivery of long-awaited justice in Kenya.
 
But human rights activists¹⁹ say they are worried about the safety of those sending evidence to the ICC.  They say Kenyan government structures to protect whistleblowers are weak or non-existent.

 

1 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。

2 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

3 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

4 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

7 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

8 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

9 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

10 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

11 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

12 testimonies   

（法庭上证人的）证词( testimony的名词复数 )； 证明，证据

参考例句：

• Davie poured forth his eloquence upon the controversies and testimonies of the day. 戴维向他滔滔不绝地谈那些当时有争论的问题和上帝的箴言。
• Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 22求你除掉我所受的羞辱和藐视，因我遵守你的法度。

13 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

14 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。

15 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

16 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

17 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

18 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。

19 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》