VOA常速英语2007年-US Lawyers March to Protest Emergency Rule in P

By Meredith Buel
Washington
14 November 2007

Hundreds of lawyers have marched past the United States Supreme¹ Court in a show of solidarity² with attorneys in Pakistan who have been arrested while protesting President Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule and suspend the constitution.  VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.

Dressed in dark suits like their counterparts in Pakistan, attorneys from the United States rallied in support of lawyers in Pakistan who have taken the lead in demonstrating against General Musharraf.

Jeff Golden, who chairs the international law section of the American Bar Association, traveled from London for the protest.

"The pictures that are coming out of Pakistan are not pretty," he said.  "What we essentially³ see is, in effect, martial⁴ law, closure of courts, but probably most disturbing, we see hundreds of lawyers being thrashed in the streets.  The message we would like to deliver is this is just not acceptable."

A group of law students from Penn State University joined the protest, which took place next to the U.S. Capitol and a short distance from the White House.  Eddie Richardson, 21, says he came to Washington to protest the Bush administration's support for General Musharraf.

"People in power in Washington, D.C. ought to understand that we do not support or like the idea of our country, or our politicians supporting people that do not stand for the rule of law," he said.  "It is antithetical to what we are, who we are as Americans, for us to have an ally that does not comport⁵ with the rule of law and those types of democratic values."

Since declaring a national emergency, President Musharraf has detained members of the country's Supreme Court and arrested thousands of lawyers, human rights workers and members of opposition⁶ political parties.

William Neukom is President of the American Bar Association, which sponsored the rally in Washington.

"We the lawyers of America today in this country call upon General Musharraf to restore the constitution of Pakistan, to reinstate the Supreme Court of Pakistan and to release those lawyers and other leaders who have been wrongly jailed for their lawful⁷ protest of his lawless actions," he said.

Mohammad Akram Sheikh, the past president of the bar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, joined the march and said it will boost the morale⁸ of attorneys in his home country. 

He says it is time for General Musharraf to take off his uniform and allow free elections.

"I would request President Bush to kindly⁹ withdraw his recognition," he said.  "President Musharraf is not part of any solution, he is part of the problem.  Let those in civil society chose their own leader for regulating their own affairs."

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is expected to arrive in Pakistan later this week to urge General Musharraf to lift emergency rule and allow free elections.

So far Mr. Musharraf has resisted calls for him to reverse course, telling Britain's Sky News he will stay in power as long as Pakistan remains¹⁰ in turmoil¹¹.

"We have to see if there is a way that my going will insure balance and stability in Pakistan," said Mr. Musharraf.  "That is the best time that I would like to quit.  Ok?  And I am seeing that.  I am looking at that."

Meanwhile, lawyers in the United States say they will continue to stage protests in support of their colleagues in Pakistan.

1 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。

2 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

5 comport   

vi.相称，适合

参考例句：

• His behavior did not comport with his office.他的行为与他的职务很不相称。
• A judge should comport himself authoritatively.法官举止必须要庄严。

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 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

8 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。