美国国家公共电台 NPR Sickened Russian Opposition Leader Blames Poison Ordered By Russian Special Services

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

And we begin this hour with the story of Russia, a Kremlin critic and maybe poison. This is the story of Vladimir Kara-Murza.

VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA: This time it began about 4:30 in the morning. So I woke up because my heart was beginning to race unbelievably fast, unbelievably quick.

KELLY: Kara-Murza believes he was poisoned twice - victim of what he calls a Kremlin policy of eliminating its opponents. He's a former journalist, and a pro-democracy activist¹, who has repeatedly and publicly criticized President Vladimir Putin. One month ago today, Kara-Murza was in a Moscow hospital in a coma² being kept alive by artificial respiration³. He's still recovering. He's now being treated by doctors here in the U.S. We invited him to come to NPR and tell his story.

KARA-MURZA: Before, I couldn't even get up properly. I started feeling really weak, and I felt sweating really badly, profusely⁴. And my blood pressure dropped to basically non-existent. And the worst thing, this time I was really struggling to breathe, and that's really - I can tell you that's really, not just painful but really scary. This was not the first time this happened, and I didn't want to admit that this was the same thing because, as you can imagine, it was a very traumatic experience like two years ago, and I was very fortunate to survive then. I'm very fortunate to be here with you today because both time doctors told my wife that I had about a 5 percent chance.

KELLY: And your wife, we should mention, is - was back in the States.

KARA-MURZA: Yes, she was in the U.S. with our children. But I called her straight away, and I said this is what is happening. And so she called the same doctor who saved my life last time two years ago. And he said, yeah, bring him to me. And of course, he knew exactly what it was because it was exactly the same thing that happened two years ago. So I was still kind of conscious. I remember it in a haze⁵. And then I passed out. And I don't remember anything for the next two, two and a half weeks. And...

KELLY: And you're in a coma and in the hospital in Moscow.

KARA-MURZA: Yeah, I was in a coma for most of that time. And then, when I came out of coma, I still don't remember.

KELLY: And just to share for people who can't see you, it's incredible hearing you relate the state that you were in one month ago. You walked in on your own two feet to this interview. You look healthy young man in your 30s in your prime right now. That's astonishing.

KARA-MURZA: Well, you're being too kind, first of all. I may look OK. I certainly don't - I don't feel the way you're describing. But again, it was worse last time. They didn't know what it was.

KELLY: They didn't know what they were treating.

KARA-MURZA: Yes. Now, the way this toxin⁶ or this poison works is it shuts off organs one by one - one after another. So when doctors start treating something, let's say the heart, about half an hour later, something else shut down. So they start treating, say the kidneys, then the liver shuts down, then the lungs. And also what they also did both times, they put me on hemodialysis. So they began completely cleaning the blood in the whole body. And this is both times when I began stabilizing⁷.

KELLY: Vladimir Kara-Murza, you are using the word poison. What evidence do you have that this was in fact poison?

KARA-MURZA: Well, first of all, that's the official diagnosis⁸ from my discharge papers from my Russian hospital.

KELLY: From the Russian hospital.

KARA-MURZA: Toxic⁹ action by an unidentified substance. So translating from medical to normal language, that's poisoning and...

KELLY: You also had - the doctors collected blood samples, hair samples from you at the hospital. Where have those been sent, and what have you heard back?

KARA-MURZA: So my wife and my lawyer managed to send some samples, so the blood, the hair, the fingernails, to three different toxicology labs. And they're still working on it. It takes a long time, as I understand. And of course, a result is not guaranteed either. Last time, we didn't find out what the toxin actually was. I mean, people have explained to me, after the last time, that it was a sophisticated way that it was administered because obviously, I didn't notice that I was being poisoned. I don't know how they did it.

KELLY: Had you eaten something unusual or come into contact with substances you wouldn't normally have?

KARA-MURZA: You know, my work in Russia involves constantly meeting with different people in different places, in public places, in cafes and restaurants. I'm...

KELLY: Drinking a lot of cups of tea with a lot of different people.

KARA-MURZA: Of course, I'm going around the country a lot. I mean, I'm actually not in Moscow most of the time. I'm mostly around Russia for my work at the Open Russia movement. I'm also recently completed a documentary film about Boris Nemtsov, the opposition¹⁰ leader who was killed two years ago, who was a longtime colleague and a close friend of mine. So I'm - I was going around the country also holding public screenings for the film, so I was all over the place.

KELLY: Who do you believe would want you dead?

KARA-MURZA: Well, of course, I wouldn't know the precise people involved in this, but naturally, it's people connected with the current regime. And I think it's people who either have been or are currently connected with the Russian special services. But I haven't received any warnings, any threats, nothing. So - and of course, I don't know the who, I don't know the when, I don't know the how. The only thing I'm pretty sure about is the why.

KELLY: I want to note two things. One, your attorney in Russia has called for a criminal investigation¹² on suspicion of attempted murder. I also want to note that Moscow has consistently denied any government ties to high-profile poisoning cases, denied any malevolent¹³ motives¹⁴ in your specific case. Given everything you've just told us, will you go back to Russia?

KARA-MURZA: Well, I can definitely tell you that I'm going back to doing what I was doing before.

KELLY: Will you set foot on a plane to Russia again, though?

KARA-MURZA: Well, I think, you know, now my main task is to get back to walking normally again. And I'm not even allowed to travel anywhere and...

KELLY: Your doctors haven't signed off on travel plans.

KARA-MURZA: Oh, of course. Last time I returned to Russia, I was really not in shape physically¹⁵, but I felt it important to, you know, to return as soon as I could to resume the work. You know, I think it's far too early to talk about precise plans. But I can tell you 100 percent that I'm going back to doing what I've been doing my whole adult life and that is being involved in the democratic opposition in Russia because I think this regime that we have in power in our country now is driving our country into a dead end.

Russia's a European country. We live in the 21st century. And for the last 17 years, so almost a generation, we've had the same small clique¹⁶ of crooks¹⁷ and autocrats¹⁸, unelected crooks and autocrats, holding onto power and, you know, destroying independent media, destroying elections as a meaningful institution; also in recent years, as you know, going even outside Russia's borders and turning to external aggression¹⁹. I think, you know, those of us who believe in a democratic future for Russia and a democratic European future for Russia based on rule of law, we cannot just sit idly by and watch this happen. We need to do something about it. And I will do whatever I can to make sure that our country has a government that our people deserve.

KELLY: To push back on what you're saying, we should note President Putin enjoys overwhelming popular support within Russia.

KARA-MURZA: You know what? If you control every single nationwide television channel, if your opponents are in prison, in exile or dead, if you control the electoral process from beginning to end, from controlling who actually is on the ballot²⁰ and to controlling the vote count, I don't think it's very hard to have a quote, unquote, "high approval rating."

KELLY: If that's true, why would the government feel the need to poison someone like you?

KARA-MURZA: Well, that's the thing, I mean, I think a much better way of assessing and looking at the real state of affairs in Russia and the real popularity or lack thereof of the current regime is to look at their own actions. And if you look at their own actions, you see what they've been doing for the last 17 years. And let me ask you, if I may, if you really have 86 or 90 or 95 or however many percent they say they have in approval ratings, why would you need to rig elections? And as you rightly ask, why would you need to jail, push out of the country or otherwise silence members of the opposition?

KELLY: That's Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza. He is the vice¹¹ chair of Open Russia, and he was speaking to us still recovering after emerging from a coma last month in Moscow. Mr. Kara-Murza, thank you for coming in.

KARA-MURZA: Thank you very much. It's good to be with you.

KELLY: Best wishes for your recovery.

KARA-MURZA: I will try.

KELLY: We did reach out to the Russian embassy in Washington for a response. We have yet to hear back.

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

3 respiration   

n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用

参考例句：

• They tried artificial respiration but it was of no avail.他们试做人工呼吸，可是无效。
• They made frequent checks on his respiration,pulse and blood.他们经常检查他的呼吸、脉搏和血液。

4 profusely   

ad.abundantly

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture. 我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• He had been working hard and was perspiring profusely. 他一直在努力干活，身上大汗淋漓的。

5 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

6 toxin   

n.毒素，毒质

参考例句：

• Experts have linked this condition to a build-up of toxins in the body.专家已把这一病症与体内毒素的积累联系起来。
• Tests showed increased levels of toxin in shellfish.检验表明水生有壳动物的毒素水平提高了。

7 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

8 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

9 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

10 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。

11 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。

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 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

14 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

15 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

16 clique   

n.朋党派系，小集团

参考例句：

• The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。
• If the renegade clique of that country were in power,it would have meant serious disaster for the people.如果那个国家的叛徒集团一得势，人民就要遭殃。

17 crooks   

n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The police are getting after the crooks in the city. 警察在城里追捕小偷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cops got the crooks. 警察捉到了那些罪犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 autocrats   

n.独裁统治者( autocrat的名词复数 )；独断专行的人

参考例句：

• Still, the widespread pessimism doesn't explain the relatively high scores enjoyed by the autocrats. 不过，普遍的悲观情绪并没有解释为何独裁者得到相对较高的分数。 来自互联网

19 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

20 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。