2006年VOA标准英语-Uzbekistan Clamps Down on Political Opposi

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
06 March 2006

A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced the leader of the country's main opposition¹ movement - Sanjar Umarov - to nearly 11 years in prison for alleged² economic crimes. His lawyer says Umarov will appeal the sentence, which critics say is politically motivated.

------------------------------------------------

After a month-long, closed-door trial, presiding judge Zokirjon Isayev pronounced Sanjar Umarov guilty and sentenced him to more than ten years in prison.

Isayev told the court in Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent, that the leader of Uzbekistan's main opposition Sunshine Coalition³ was guilty of heading an organized criminal group and creating several off-shore companies with the express purpose of committing corruption⁴ and fraud. Umarov denies the charges, and his supporters say he is the victim of a Soviet⁵-style show trial.

Allison Gill is the Director of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch (HRW). She says the only thing Umarov is guilty of is speaking his mind about the government's abuse of force in putting down last May's uprising in Andijan.

"The [Uzbek] government has been very, very harsh on its critics," said Gill. "Its cracked down on human rights defenders⁶ and opposition figures. Just last week, Nodira Khidayatova [Sunshine's coordinator] was also sentenced. Sanjar Umarov is now sentenced. So, the regime is systematically⁷ silencing its critics."

Gill and other rights defenders say Uzbek troops fired on unarmed protesters in Andijan, killing⁸ as many as 700 people.

Karimov's government has said that less than 200 died in Andijan and that Islamic extremists, and not the government, were to blame. The president has also resisted high-level calls in Europe and the United States to launch an independent investigation⁹ into what rights groups say was a massacre¹⁰.

Gill, who headed up the Human Rights Watch office in Tashkent until this past December, says civil society has been under constant attack in Uzbekistan since Andijan.

"The government is shutting down foreign NGO's [or charities] as well as local NGO's. It has beaten up opposition figures and human rights defenders almost on a daily basis. Just today, a court in Uzbekistan ordered Freedom House to be closed," she said. "I believe the Eurasia Foundation is also ordered to be closed."

According to Gill, the government believes the western-funded organizations have helped the political opposition come to power in several other former Soviet Republics, including in neighboring Kyrgyzstan.

Last year, Uzbek Authorities shut down two U.S.-funded NGO's, Internews, which works to promote free media, and IREX, an education and research group.

Gill says Human Rights Watch has repeatedly urged Uzbekistan's government to protect opposition leaders rights to freedom of speech and association so that they can do their work as protected by international law.

To date, Gill says, the Uzbek government has not responded. President Karimov has characterized Andijan as a, quote, internal affair, - a position backed up by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

1 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。

2 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

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 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。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 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。

10 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！