Russia has drawn international condemnation for alleged war crimes

Russia has drawn¹ international condemnation³ for alleged⁴ war crimes

Transcript⁵

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks talks to Pierre-Richard Prosper⁶, a war crimes prosecutor⁷ and a former U.S. ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, about whether Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

President Biden said this morning that he will be adding new sanctions against Russia because of what has happened in the town of Bucha. He also called for a war crimes trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight, and we have to gather all the details so this can be an actual - have a war crime trial. This guy is brutal⁸.

MARTIN: For more on this, we have called on Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper. He was a war crimes prosecutor for the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and later served President George W. Bush in a senior role as U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes.

Ambassador, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

PIERRE-RICHARD PROSPER: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: Based on your experience, in your estimation, has Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine?

PROSPER: Well, it would appear that they have, based on the reports that we are seeing. We're seeing, effectively, the unlawful killing⁹ of civilians¹⁰. We're seeing potential acts of torture, rape¹¹, all of the things that are outlawed¹² by the Geneva Conventions and the laws of war.

MARTIN: Well, let me ask you. Spain's prime minister said what's happening in Ukraine may amount to genocide. Poland's prime minister described it that way, too. That is a very specific term that carries legal weight and attached responsibilities. Is that the right term to use here?

PROSPER: Well, it does. It carries significant weight because under the Genocide Convention, nations are obligated to act. But I think right now we should not necessarily be focusing on labels because a determination is a process and requires deeper analysis to define genocide. But what we need to be doing is really focusing on the actions themselves. It is clear that atrocities¹³ are being committed. It is clear that - based on the reports - that there are violations¹⁴ of the laws of war. And that should be sufficient for nations, not just the West, not just the United States, but the entire international community to act.

MARTIN: Which is very complicated - and, as you say, when you call something a genocide by the international standard - legal standard, it compels countries, the international community, to intervene. I mean, do you let the process of the investigation¹⁵ keep going, or do you just make the determination now based on what you've seen?

PROSPER: Well, I think the international community needs to take action regardless. An investigation does take time. A determination does take time. But that should not withhold¹⁶ the action of the international community. When you see civilians being killed, their hands tied behind their backs and executed, that should be sufficient. We have seen the international community take actions in other areas when civilians have been in harm's way. So this should not be any different.

MARTIN: So what would that look like?

PROSPER: Well, I think - obviously, I don't have the information that the United States government, NATO and others have. But I do think we need to continue to support the Ukrainian government, give them the materials they need to defend themselves. The United States and others should see what other actions are capable. But I think what's really important is what you are doing here. And what we are doing is we need to continue to shine a light on the actions of the Russian government because we have to make sure that this is undeniable. And the more that we can get the global community - and I'm talking Europe, United States, Asia, Africa, Latin America, everyone - to condemn² and put pressure on the Russian government, hopefully it will begin to curb¹⁷ - not only curb the action, but promote an action of accountability. Hopefully, it will promote dissent¹⁸ from within, where the Russian people themselves see that there is a problem.

MARTIN: But it's such a messaging war, right? I mean, we've seen these hideous¹⁹ images coming out of the town of Bucha outside of Kyiv. And Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov is already saying that this was a Ukrainian provocation²⁰. How do you hold Russia accountable by standards and a process that the country is likely to claim is illegitimate?

PROSPER: Well, we've been here before. And, I think, with every war, we've heard this exact same rhetoric²¹. But I think what we have here is we have the fact that the media is present. We have NGOs, human rights groups that are present. I'm sure that the United States and other nations have detailed²² satellite imagery and other information that could be put forth²³ to the relevant bodies. So I think we can expect the - this rhetoric and - or propaganda from the Russian government. But I think it's time for a objective analysis and action by the global community.

MARTIN: Former war crimes prosecutor Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper - thank you so much for your time and perspective this morning. We appreciate it.

PROSPER: Great. Thank you for having me.

1 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。

2 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

3 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。

4 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

5 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。

6 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

7 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。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 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。

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

11 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

12 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

13 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 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。

15 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。

16 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

17 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

18 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

19 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

20 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

21 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

22 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

23 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。