VOA标准英语2009-International Pressure Grows on Iran to Release

Iran says the case of American journalist Roxana Saberi, imprisoned¹ in Tehran for spying, will get a fair review on appeal while international calls for her release are growing on World Press Freedom Day.
　
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki (right) and his Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone arrive to their joint² news conference in Tehran, 02 May 2009

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told his visiting Japanese counterpart Saturday that Saberi's appeal will be "reviewed justly and humanely³."

Japan's Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone raised the issue in Tehran because Saberi's mother is Japanese. Her father is Iranian.

Journalist Saberi was convicted by an Iranian court on charges of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison. She has been on a hunger strike since April 21.

Saberi's father Reza and his wife Akiko are also in Tehran to try to win their daughter's release. Reza Saberi says he is grateful for all the support being shown worldwide for his daughter.

"We are very thankful for their support. I talked to my daughter, yesterday, and she said that while she did not want other people to go on hunger strike because of her, she appreciates their support very much," Saberi said.

He said he is touched by all the sympathy being expressed, globally, for his daughter, adding that he thinks her ordeal⁴ will end soon.
　
Members of media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders demonstrate at the Iranian Embassy in Paris to call for the liberation of three journalists including reporter Roxana Saberi, 03 May 2009

"I think they are doing a lot and we are very grateful for their support. We are optimistic that this problem will be solved in [the] near future," said Saberi.

Lucie Morillon of Reporters Without Borders in Washington says members of the group are taking up Saberi's cause by going on a hunger strike.

"We are very concerned about her health and we want her to know that other people have taken up her hunger strike and that she does not have to continue it. She is weak and we are here to let her know she can stop. Other people can do it for her, abroad," said Morillon.

She says journalists around the world should let Iran know they are committing an injustice⁵ and accomplishing nothing by detaining an innocent person.

"Today is World Press Freedom Day. It is a day where we celebrate the right to be informed, where we pay tribute to those courageous⁶ reporters who are taking risks to get information. The Iranian authorities are having here the perfect opportunity to do a gesture of goodwill⁷ and let her go," Morillon said. "She has done nothing wrong. They know it very well . These are trumped-up charges being held against her. They should let her go. It is not going to bring them anything to have someone like Roxana spending time in jail."

Journalists gathered Sunday in front of U.N. headquarters in New York City to begin their hunger strike and conducted a vigil in support of Saberi and two U.S. journalists being held by North Korea for allegedly spying.

International human-rights groups are also criticizing Iran for the execution Friday of a young woman who was convicted of murder when she was a minor⁸. Her lawyer said authorities did not follow Iranian law in executing Delara Darabi.

Amnesty International says it is outraged⁹ by the hanging. It says Iran executes more juvenile¹⁰ offenders¹¹ than any other nation - eight last year and 42 since 1990. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, bans capital punishment for offenders who committed crimes before their 18th birthday.

1 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 humanely   

adv.仁慈地；人道地；富人情地；慈悲地

参考例句：

• Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何，中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网

4 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

5 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

6 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

7 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

8 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

9 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

10 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

11 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。