2006年VOA标准英语-Scientists Protest Libyan Trial of Foreign Heal

By David McAlary
Washington
26 October 2006

The international medical community is raising a chorus of protest against a Libyan trial of six Bulgarian and Palestinian health workers. The six are accused of deliberately¹ infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the AIDS virus. The defendants² face the death penalty when their trial ends October 31, but health experts say the evidence against them is worthless.

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Relatives of Bulgarian nurses jailed in Libya hold banners that call on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to release them

American and European researchers are protesting the trial of five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor on charges of purposely injecting 426 Libyan children with HIV in 1998 at a Benghazi hospital. In August, the prosecution³ asked for the death penalty.

"This case is a very troubling case," said Janine Jagger.

University of Virginia epidemiologist Janine Jagger heads the school's International Healthcare Worker Safety Center.

"The kind of evidence that the prosecution is basing its case on is that, they claim, these infections cannot be explained any other way," she said. "But they have no evidence to specifically link these workers to these specific infections."

Jagger says that, by contrast, there is plenty of evidence to show that the six foreigners are innocent, but the Libyan court has rejected it. It has also denied the defendants' requests to present testimony⁴ by international scientists who might vindicate⁵ them.

The evidence in their support comes from a team led by the co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, Luc Montagnier of France. It is based on analysis of blood samples taken from many of the HIV-infected Libyan children when they were treated in European hospitals.

"Through his analysis, it was determined⁶ that some of these cases had been infected before the arrival of the workers and there is no way to link those cases by the viral analysis that was done," noted⁷ Janine Jagger.

Montagnier's report also shows that many of the Libyan children were also infected with hepatitis B and C, suggesting that unsafe practices were common in the Libyan hospital.

The other co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, Robert Gallo of the University of Maryland, has joined 43 U.S. and European scientists in a letter published in the journal Science decrying⁸ the Libyan trial, the alleged⁹ torture of the six defendants, and forced confessions¹⁰ during their seven years of imprisonment¹¹.

"When one saw all the evidence collected, it was clear that these people are innocent," said Robert Gallo. "There is close to absolute proof and certainly no suggestion that they did anything except these so-called confessions."

In addition to the confessions, the Libyan court has accepted a report by five Libyan physicians implicating¹² the foreign health workers in the HIV cases. According to an English translation of the report obtained by the journal Nature, they argue that Libyan hospital sanitation¹³ was not a problem. They also say that the HIV outbreak involved so many children and was of an unusual strain that it must have been malicious¹⁴.

But Jagger says the report is worthless.

"The evidence in terms of the prosecution's case is the most vague evidence that I have ever seen," she said. "I mean, this kind of evidence wouldn't even be admissible in a court in the United States."

Jagger says she believes Libya's government brought the charges to cover up medical deficiencies in the Benghazi hospital.

President Bush has said the defendants should be freed.

This is not the first trial the Bulgarian and Palestinian medics have faced. They were convicted in 2004 and sentenced to death by firing squad¹⁵. But Libya's Supreme¹⁶ Court overturned the sentences, saying there were some problems with how Libyan authorities handled the case.

Robert Gallo says he and his colleagues felt compelled to speak out now because the current trial is coming to an end. He urges concerted international pressure against Libya if it results in another conviction.

"I would hope there would be an outcry in the United Nations," he said. "I would hope there would be very strong international governmental anger by the political leaders."

Gallo and his colleagues say Libya's action sends a chilling message to health care workers giving lifesaving HIV care in difficult circumstances.

1 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

2 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

3 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 vindicate   

v.为…辩护或辩解，辩明；证明…正确

参考例句：

• He tried hard to vindicate his honor.他拼命维护自己的名誉。
• How can you vindicate your behavior to the teacher?你怎样才能向老师证明你的行为是对的呢？

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 decrying   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Soon Chinese Internet users, including government agencies, were decrying the' poisonous panda. 不久，中国网民以及政府机构纷纷谴责“影响极坏的熊猫烧香”。 来自互联网
• Democratic leaders are decrying President Bush's plan to indefinitely halt troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. 民主党领导公开谴责布什总统七月后无限停止从伊拉克撤兵的举动。 来自互联网

9 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

10 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

12 implicating   

vt.牵涉，涉及（implicate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• He was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. 他站在被告席上，什么都招认，什么人都咬。 来自英汉文学
• No one would have had me get out of the scrape by implicating an old friend. 无论什么人都不能叫我为了自己摆脱困难便把一个老朋友牵累到这案子里去。 来自辞典例句

13 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

14 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

15 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

16 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。