菲德尔·卡斯特罗的死能改善古巴人权吗?

Will Death of Fidel Castro Improve Human Rights in Cuba? 菲德尔·卡斯特罗的死能改善古巴人权吗?

Some Cuban-Americans believe the death of Fidel Castro means human rights abuses in Cuba will end. Jose Sanchez is one of them.

“We had a bad dictator that had Cuba under oppression and repression¹ for almost six decades is no longer with us, and that will give an opportunity to the Cuban people to start the journey towards freedom and democracy.”

Sanchez lives in Little Havana, an area of Miami, Florida, where many Cuban-Americans live. Lissette Calderon lives there, too. She says the death of Fidel Castro is the beginning of a new Cuba.

“The people of Cuba do not have free elections and there’s no democracy. And I think those of us aren’t gonna rest until we see the freedom for the people of Cuba.”

Fidel Castro began ruling the country in 1959. In 2008, he gave the presidency² to his younger brother, Raul. For almost 58 years, the Cuban people have had few civil and political freedoms. Thousands of activists³ have been punished or imprisoned⁴.

In 2014, relations between the United States and Cuba were reestablished. But that change did not decrease limits on freedoms in Cuba. Few people have access to the Internet; journalists and human rights activists are still regularly detained.

Guadalupe Correa is a professor of government affairs and security studies at the University of Texas. She told VOA on Skype that Raul Castro, who has slowly taken control of Cuba, must now decide if his brother’s death will bring major changes to the country.

“He needs to change his approach to his own country and allow the country to be more open.”

Some American lawmakers made similar statements on Twitter. Congressman⁵ Carlos Curbelo said Castro’s death is an opportunity for opposition⁶ leaders in Cuba to become stronger.

But Brian Fonseca, the director of the Public Policy Institute at Florida International University, is not as optimistic. He told VOA on Skype that human rights activists will see things get worse in Cuba before they get better.

He says that is because people in power want to keep power. So, he says, current political leaders might react to Castro’s death by limiting any opposition -- at least in the short term.

Words in This Story

decade – n. a ten year period

approach – n. a way of dealing⁷ with something; a way of doing or thinking about something

optimistic – adj. having or showing hope for the future; expecting good things to happen

short term – adj. a short period of time at the beginning of something

1 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 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》

4 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。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 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。

7 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。