VOA标准英语2010年-Iran says US Hikers to Be Put on Trial

Iranian officials are indicating two American hikers imprisoned¹ in Tehran for more than a year on espionage² charges will be put on trial next month.

After months of languishing³ in an Iranian prison, two American hikers, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, accused of espionage after allegedly crossing the Iranian border are due to be tried on November 6, according to their lawyer. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail⁵, last month.

Iran's official news agency IRNA says that Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi confirmed the trial of the American hikers would be held soon. "Whatever case we have against them," he said, "will be passed on to the judiciary.

The hiker's lawyer, Masoud Shafii, said well-known Revolutionary Court Judge Abolqasem Salavati will preside over the case. Salavati became a celebrity⁶, last year, after the televised trials of opposition⁷ activists⁸ held for protesting against Iran's disputed presidential election.

Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Iran to release the two remaining hikers Fattal and Bauer on "humanitarian⁹" grounds. Clinton insisted there is "no basis whatsoever¹⁰" for putting the hikers on trial, and that it is "unfortunate" their ordeal¹¹ has lasted so long.

The hikers were detained in July 2009 after allegedly entering Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Vice¹² President Seyed Mohamed Abuturab complained to Iranian TV that the United States is constantly accusing Iran of abusing human rights:

He says the U.S. accuses Iran of human-rights violations¹³ at various international forums¹⁴, but the United States violates human rights in many cases.

University of Birmingham Professor Scott Lucas, who writes about Iran in the popular blog Enduring America, says the hikers have become part of a "wider political game" between the United States and Iran, centering around talks, and international prestige.

Lucas also thinks the case of the hikers has become part of an "internal struggle" in Iran, between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani. He points to the release of hiker Sarah Shourd as a gesture by Mr. Ahmadinejad to the United States, before his September trip to the United Nations.

Former French Ambassador to Tehran Francois Nicoullaud believes the hikers' ordeal is not yet over, and that Iran's judiciary system is being manipulated for political purposes:

"I believe that the judiciary process will probably produce a condemnation¹⁵," said Francois Nicoullaud. "Knowing the system, I have little faith in the independence of the judicial¹⁶ system. What we can hope for is that this condemnation could be rather light and after that it is likely a period of negotiations¹⁷ will open in order to have the two remaining young Americans expelled from Iran. But, we have to prepare ourselves for not only a few weeks probably, but a few months of difficult times and anguish⁴ for the families."

In May, Tehran released French academic Clotilde Reiss, who was arrested and tried for espionage last year, in a similarly long and drawn¹⁸ out ordeal.
 

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 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

3 languishing   

a. 衰弱下去的

参考例句：

• He is languishing for home. 他苦思家乡。
• How long will she go on languishing for her red-haired boy? 为想见到她的红头发的儿子，她还将为此烦恼多久呢？

4 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

5 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

6 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

7 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。

8 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》

9 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。

10 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

11 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。

12 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

13 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。

14 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

15 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

16 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。

17 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

18 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。