VOA常速英语2007年-Britain: Failed Zimbabwean Asylum Seekers Will

By Tendai Maphosa
London
05 December 2007

The British Home Office says the ruling against a Zimbabwean asylum¹ seeker does not mean automatic removal of people who failed to gain asylum in the United Kingdom.  Tendai Maphosa reports for VOA from London that a recent ruling has sparked concern among other failed asylum seekers that they will be deported².

A Home Office spokesperson told VOA that removal of failed asylum seekers would not be automatic.  She said an appeal of a ruling against asylum would halt the removal process before it begins.  If there was no appeal, she said, the government would encourage those affected³ to go home voluntarily before being forcibly removed.

A Home Office statement said it was pleased by last week's Asylum and Immigration Tribunal ruling dismissing an appeal by a Zimbabwean asylum seeker.  She had appealed against being sent back to Zimbabwe.  She said she feared persecution⁴ for having sought refuge in the United Kingdom.

The statement added that the British government has grave concerns about, what it called, the appalling⁵ human rights situation in Zimbabwe, and said it continues to press for an end to abuses.  It also said refuge for asylum seekers with a genuine need for protection will continue to be given.

The ruling caused anxiety among failed asylum seekers who had been awaiting the appeal result.  Under British law, a legal appeal results in other similar cases being put on hold while the courts decide.

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal has the same standing⁶ in British law as a regular court.

Since the appeal was launched in 2005 there have been no deportations of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe, except some who had committed crimes or used third-country passports to enter the United Kingdom.

Deri Hughes-Roberts of The Refugee Legal Center, which represented the woman, said the tribunal's ruling contained some positive elements that would allow Zimbabweans who oppose their government to seek refugee status, if not asylum.

"In many respects the ruling is quite helpful, for example, because it accepts that even a low-level supporter of the opposition⁷ in Zimbabwe may well be deserving of refugee status," she said.  "So the decision does not affect the principle [that] every case should be considered on its own merits and there is a lot in this judgment⁸ to support individual claims."

But Hughes-Roberts said high-profile political activists⁹, who could be imprisoned¹⁰ or persecuted¹¹ for their views or actions, stood a better chance of being granted asylum prior to the ruling.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

5 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 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。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

9 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》

10 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。

11 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。