美国国家公共电台 NPR--People in Beirut are still looking for justice after the 2020 port explosion

People in Beirut are still looking for justice after the 2020 port explosion

Transcript¹

Two years after an explosion at Beirut's port killed hundreds, no officials suspected of ignoring safety warnings have been tried. Now a prosecutor² and a judge are trading charges — as protests grow.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

It's been more than two years since an explosion at Beirut's port killed more than 200 people, wounded scores more and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Two years and not one person among Lebanon's ruling class has been held accountable for the negligence³ that led to that blast. And this week, a decision by the country's chief public prosecutor sparked even more rage, prompting demonstrators to block his office and demand justice.

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UNIDENTIFIED DEMONSTRATORS: (Non-English language spoken).

FADEL: The prosecutor levied⁴ charges not against those responsible but against the judge investigating the port blast. NPR's Ruth Sherlock is in Beirut. And she joins us now. Good morning, Ruth.

RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE⁵: Good morning.

FADEL: OK, Ruth, before we get into what's happening this week, let's go back to what happened in August 2020 that killed so many people. I mean, this appeared to be a case of extreme negligence on the part of the country's leaders, right?

SHERLOCK: Absolutely. You know, when the warehouse⁶ exploded, it was one of the largest ever non-nuclear explosions. Two hundred and eighteen people were killed. Over 300,000 remain homeless. And the capital city was devastated⁷. And this explosion happened when a fire at the port ignited thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate. That's a very volatile⁸ chemical. But experts say, at the port, it was carelessly stored next to literally⁹ tons of fireworks, kerosene¹⁰ and even detonator fuses, basically the elements of a giant bomb.

FADEL: I mean - and the ruling class knew about this, right?

SHERLOCK: Right. It quickly emerged that Lebanon's top officials, including the president and the prime minister at the time, had actually been told about the danger sitting there. But nobody took action. So experts say this could be a crime under Lebanese law, possibly even homicide.

FADEL: So what's going on this week? Why is the judge getting charged after he resumed the inquiry¹¹ into the blast?

SHERLOCK: Well, the chief prosecutor that issued the charges is claiming that the judge, Tarek Bitar, doesn't have the legal right to resume his investigation¹², which had been stalled for over a year. He's ordered law enforcement agencies not to execute Bitar's orders. And he's also begun releasing the only people that were ever detained in connection with the blast. This, though, is in response to Bitar charging him, the chief prosecutor, as well as the current heads of Lebanese security agencies and the former prime minister.

I want to remind you, though, that the first investigative judge that was appointed tried to charge the former prime minister and others with criminal negligence. But they claimed they had immunity¹³ and actually managed to get that judge fired. This judge, Bitar, has faced similar opposition¹⁴. So now he's restarted his inquiry. But it's a standoff, with Judge Bitar and the families of the victims on one side and the prosecutor, with the support of many of the country's leaders, on the other.

FADEL: And this is going on as Lebanon is dealing¹⁵ with an intense economic crisis, people's money taken by the banks, systemic and endemic corruption¹⁶ among the entrenched¹⁷ ruling elite¹⁸. Is this a case of that ruling elite protecting itself?

SHERLOCK: That is what it looks like and what most Lebanese people suspect. Lebanese politics was traditionally mired¹⁹ by sectarian rivalries²⁰. But as it's become apparent that all of the leaders of the different sects²¹ played a role in the corruption and mismanagement that caused the economic crisis here, the establishment seems to be closing ranks. And that seems apparent in the port investigation, too. You know, analysts²² and rights groups say what's happening here is Lebanon's leaders are just running roughshod over the law and blocking the investigation, all to shield themselves from accountability.

FADEL: NPR's Ruth Sherlock in Beirut. Thank you, Ruth.

SHERLOCK: Thank you.

1 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。

2 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。

3 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

4 levied   

征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• Taxes should be levied more on the rich than on the poor. 向富人征收的税应该比穷人的多。
• Heavy fines were levied on motoring offenders. 违规驾车者会遭到重罚。

5 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。

6 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

7 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

8 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

11 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

12 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。

13 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

14 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。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

18 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。

19 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 rivalries   

n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
• Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨，或者引起争斗。 来自互联网

21 sects   

n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had subdued the religious sects, cleaned up Saigon. 他压服了宗教派别，刷新了西贡的面貌。 来自辞典例句

22 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。