2006年VOA标准英语-Pressure Grows on AU to Recommend Extradit

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
16 January 2006

 
Hissene Habre
  
Activists¹ are calling on leaders attending next week's African Union summit to recommend that Chad's former president be extradited to Belgium to face a trial for crimes against humanity, or to hold such a trial in Africa.

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The Chadian Truth Commission estimates that Hissene Habre's regime may have killed up to 40,000 Chadians and practiced widespread torture during his rule from 1982 to 1990.

An official with the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Reed Brody, told reporters in Nairobi Monday he has personally seen the files of Habre's political police.

They describe in detail the abuse of more than 12,000 people, including some 1,200 who died in detention² in the capital alone.

Clement³ Abaifouta is an administrator⁴ with the Chadian Association of Victims of Political Repression⁵ and Crime.

He was arrested in 1985 shortly after receiving a scholarship to study in Germany, and spent four years in jail being forced to bury his fellow prisoners who died.

"They used to put up to 100 person[s] in a small room," he said.  "In Chad, between March and April you have 50 degrees [Celsius], so imagine that in the small room they put up to 100 persons. They used to die, to die, to die, in one day, maybe 10 can die. I remember that, one day, we buried up to 37 persons."

Mr. Abaifouta says he was given no reason for his arrest and detention, but suspects he was targeted because his uncle was a member of an opposition⁶ political party.

The former Chadian leader has been living in the West African country of Senegal since he was ousted⁷ in 1990.

In February 2000 a Senegalese court charged Habre with torture and crimes against humanity, and placed him under house arrest.  But the following year, Senegal's highest court ruled that Habre could not be tried in Senegal for crimes committed elsewhere.

Following a four-year investigation⁸ by a Belgian judge, Belgium issued a warrant for Habre's arrest last September.  Two months later, a Senegalese court said it could not rule on the extradition⁹ request, and a government minister said the African Union must decide where Habre's case should be heard.

Human Rights Watch's Reed Brody says the African Union's endorsement¹⁰ to bring Habre to trial in Belgium or an African country will send a powerful message to the rest of Africa.

"While the heads of state have the case of Hissene Habre before them, this is really a test case for impunity¹¹ on the continent," said Mr. Brody.  "Bringing Hissene Habre to justice should be a first step for Africa to try to break this cycle in which leaders brutalize their people, pillage¹² their treasury¹³, and then just join up with their bank accounts somewhere else."

Brody joins more than 30 civil society groups all over Africa that Monday issued a letter to African Union heads of state urging them to recommend Habre's extradition to Belgium.

1 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》

2 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 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。

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 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

8 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。

9 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

10 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

11 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

12 pillage   

v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物

参考例句：

• The invading troops were guilty of rape and pillage.侵略军犯了抢劫和强奸的罪。
• It was almost pillage.这简直是一场洗劫。

13 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。