美国国家公共电台 NPR--What we know about the days of chaos behind the walls of Tehran's Evin prison

What we know about the days of chaos¹ behind the walls of Tehran's Evin prison

Transcript²

A fire at Iran's notorious Evin prison has killed at least eight people, according to the state news agency. The prison is where dissidents and political prisoners are incarcerated³.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A fire at Iran's notorious Evin prison has killed at least eight people. That's according to the state news agency there. The fire started over the weekend. Video posted online shows several blazes, people screaming, gunfire.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Non-English language spoken).

(SOUNDBITE OF GUNFIRE)

MARTIN: The prison is on the outskirts⁴ of the capital city, Tehran, and holds hundreds of dissidents and political prisoners, including American nationals and protesters who've been arrested during the recent antigovernment demonstrations⁵ over women's rights. NPR's Peter Kenyon has been following all this and joins us now from Istanbul.

Hi, Peter.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE⁶: Hi, Rachel.

MARTIN: What have we learned has happened at the prison thus far?

KENYON: Well, we still don't have confirmation⁷ of exactly how the fire started. The IRNA state news agency is reporting that the head of Iran's state-run High Council for Human Rights paid a visit to the scorched⁸ prison ward⁹. He's quoted as repeating the government version of what happened. He said, quote, "thugs and prisoners convicted of violent crimes had clashed with prison guards." But then he added that the unrest was over.

He said on Twitter that, quote, "calm has been restored in Evin prison, and the situation is under full control." Now, his reference to thugs and violent prisoners suggests that Iran is keen to blame the unrest on certain types of inmates¹⁰ and avoid any mention of the political prisoners and antigovernment activists¹¹ you mentioned who are also incarcerated there. And he made no mention of the two Americans being held, although their families reportedly say they're OK.

MARTIN: So this fire happened as these protests have continued around Iran, right? They've been going on for weeks. What are Iranian leaders saying about them at this point?

KENYON: Well, they are generally blaming outside enemies, in particular the U.S. President Ebrahim Raisi recalled that the Islamic Republic's founder¹², Ayatollah Khomeini, had called the United States the Great Evil, sometimes translated as the Great Satan. Raisi added that America, quote, "feels angry with any act of innovation in Iran, while being happy with the problems and insecurities in the country." Interestingly, though, he also cited the need for, quote, "effective measures to solve the problems of the people so as to neutralize¹³ these plots hatched by enemies." That seems to suggest that Tehran does recognize at some level that these widespread public protests the world's been watching for weeks now are a sign of deep public unhappiness with many political and social restrictions¹⁴.

And again, they're being led by Iranian women. They face perhaps the most restrictions of all. Women are videoed removing their headscarves, sometimes burning them in sight of security forces, demanding the freedom to live their lives without these mandates¹⁵.

MARTIN: Yeah. The protests started with women protesting the death of a 22-year-old - right? - a 22-year-old young woman who died in police custody¹⁶. Can you remind us the details of that story?

KENYON: Sure. Mahsa Amini, a young woman from Iran's Kurdish minority, was detained for allegedly improper¹⁸ attire¹⁹ by the security forces known as Iran's morality police. She died three days later. Her family rejected the official explanation that she had fainted and died of natural causes, saying there was evidence she was beaten in police custody, which the government denies. And it's important to point out here that Amini's alleged¹⁷ offense²⁰, showing too much hair under her hijab, is something large numbers of Iranian women do every day, and they've been doing it for some time. And that makes these actions by the police all the more shocking to a lot of Iranians.

MARTIN: Yeah. I've seen these videos circulating of groups of women just walking in Iran with no headscarf, which is in itself such a brave and risky²¹ act.

KENYON: Yeah.

MARTIN: How is the U.S. absorbing all this? How's the Biden administration responding?

KENYON: Well, President Joe Biden has already commented. He said the U.S. stands with Iranian women. He said, quote, "Iran has to end the violence against its own citizens, who are simply exercising their fundamental rights." That prompted Iran's President Raisi to respond by blaming Biden for inciting²², quote, "chaos, terror and destruction" in Iran. As to how else the U.S. and Western countries could respond, the EU is reportedly considering blacklisting Iran's morality police, among other sanctions. And we have to note, Tehran is long used to Western sanctions. They've been being laid on for years. Some officials seem to take pride in the country's ability to carry on despite them.

MARTIN: Peter, you've been watching Iran for a very long time. Do these protests in this moment feel different to you?

KENYON: Well, certainly they are huge, the biggest ones in more than a decade. And they involve a very broad sweep of the Iranian public. And so that certainly has to be alarming to some in the government.

MARTIN: NPR's Peter Kenyon reporting from Istanbul.

Thank you so much, Peter.

KENYON: Thanks, Rachel.

1 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

8 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

9 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

10 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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》

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。

14 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

15 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

16 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

17 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

18 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

19 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

20 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

21 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

22 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。