VOA标准英语10月-Rights Group Calls for Release of Rendition Suspe

Human Rights Watch says at least 10 people are being detained without charges in Ethiopia, following an operation in early 2007 that covertly¹ transferred terrorism suspects between countries in the Horn of Africa region. As Derek Kilner reports from VOA's East Africa bureau in Nairobi, the group says the program was conducted with the complicity of the United States.

In late 2006, Ethiopian troops launched a military operation to ousted² the Islamic Courts Union from control of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The ensuing fighting caused thousands of people to flee west across the border into Kenya, joining the already sizable community of refugees that had fled earlier rounds of violence in Somalia.
　

Human Rights Watch's “Why Am I Still Here?” rendition report

According to a new report by Human Rights Watch, more than 150 of these people, citizens of 18 different countries and including women and children, were detained by Kenyan authorities. At least 90 were then taken back into Somalia, where they were handed over to Ethiopian troops and moved again, to Addis Ababa.

The report is based on testimony³ from current and former detainees. Many say they were tortured and confined to cramped⁴ cells. They were denied access to lawyers and human rights groups, and were not allowed to contact their families.

Human Rights Watch says many of the detainees were interrogated⁵ by U.S. officials from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation⁶, and many were released only after their interviews with American officials were completed.

Jennifer Daskal is a Senior Counsel for terrorism issues at Human Rights Watch, and an author of the report.

"We know that there were American agents in Ethiopia who interviewed several detainees after they had been rendered," she said. "Presumably they had some knowledge about what happened to these men women and children. And the United States is certainly complicit in the fact that its agents were interrogating⁷ individuals who were without a doubt being held incommunicado and in many cases also being physically⁸ abused."

Human Rights Watch says nine Kenyans and one Canadian remain in Ethiopian custody⁹ and more than 20 East Africans are unaccounted for. The remaining detainees have communicated with rights groups, and have been visited by Kenyan officials, but despite pledges to repatriate¹⁰ them they remain in Ethiopia.

The renditions have long been an issue of concern to Muslims and rights groups in the region.

"These renditions are extremely high profile, particularly in Kenya, where there are a number of local groups who are working to pressure the Kenyan national government to do something to get the Kenyan citizens who are still detained in Ethiopia home," Daskal said. "And there is a widespread belief, whether it is true or not that Washington supported and backed these renditions. And it contributes to the anti-American sentiment that is growing and pretty palpable in the region."

Officials in Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States have said in the past that the detainees were legitimate¹¹ terror suspects and have denied taking any illegal actions. Kenyan officials were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday, a public holiday.

The release of the report comes on the day that the American military's new Africa Command, or AFRICOM, officially launches on the continent. AFRICOM has been billed as an interagency program with a focus on soft power, including humanitarian¹² projects and training, as well as a way to streamline¹³ military operations on the continent.

But many in the region are concerned about a growing American military presence on the continent, particularly one that appears overly focused on issues of terrorism. Nowhere is this impression stronger than in the Horn of Africa, where the United States has been pursuing terrorism suspects in lawless Somalia.

The U.S. military has fired several air strikes at terrorism suspects inside Somalia. In May, one such strike killed Aden Hashi Ayro, a leader of the radical¹⁴ Islamist Shabab militia¹⁵, which has ties to al Qaida. But other strikes have been less successful, and analysts¹⁶ say civilian¹⁷ casualties have stirred anti-American sentiment in Somalia.

1 covertly   

adv.偷偷摸摸地

参考例句：

• Naval organizations were covertly incorporated into civil ministries. 各种海军组织秘密地混合在各民政机关之中。 来自辞典例句
• Modern terrorism is noteworthy today in that it is being done covertly. 现代的恐怖活动在今天是值得注意的，由于它是秘密进行的。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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。

4 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

5 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 interrogating   

n.询问技术v.询问( interrogate的现在分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• She was no longer interrogating but lecturing. 她已经不是在审问而是在教训人了。 来自辞典例句
• His face remained blank, interrogating, slightly helpless. 他的面部仍然没有表情，只带有询问的意思，还有点无可奈何。 来自辞典例句

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

9 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

10 repatriate   

v.遣返；返回；n.被遣返回国者

参考例句：

• The government safely repatriates victims.政府安全遣返了受害者。
• In this part,you need to formulate in detail repatriate the plan.在这一部分，你需要制定详细的归国计划。

11 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

14 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

16 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

17 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。