VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's Lawyers Withdraw From Justice C

By Peta Thornycroft
Southern Africa
28 October 2009

Zimbabwe's main professional associations, including the law society and "Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights", will not attend a conference organized by the ZANU-PF-controlled justice ministry¹. The withdrawal² of the professional groups represents a serious blow to the fragile unity³ government.

A government-sponsored conference, scheduled to get underway Thursday in Victoria Falls, was to be the first of its kind since the unity government came to power in February. Delegates were to discuss access to justice for all Zimbabweans and the systems through which justice is delivered in Zimbabwe.

But Zimbabwe lawyers' associations say selective prosecutions⁴, arbitrary arrests, detention⁵ of human rights defenders⁶ and abuse of the constitution continue unabated in Zimbabwe. They say they will not attend the conference.

The lawyers groups charge the continued abuse of the rule of law indicates state institutions and personnel in the department of justice remain unwilling⁷ to seriously address flaws that threaten the breakdown⁸ of the justice system. They say this further erodes⁹ public confidence in the country justice system.

The systems of justice are controlled by President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF. Patrick Chinamasa, a senior member of ZANU-PF, is minister of justice and another party loyalist, Johannes Tomana was appointed attorney-general after the Movement for Democratic Change and ZANU-PF signed a political agreement a year ago.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai stopped attending Cabinet meetings with ZANU-PF citing violations¹⁰ of the political agreement, including selective prosecutions.

Human-rights groups say that since the political agreement was signed scores of human-rights activists¹¹, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), supporters, journalists, and lawyers have been kidnapped, allegedly tortured, and arrested.

Since the unity government was formed in February seven MDC legislators have been arrested, charged and three found guilty in remote rural courts in cases which the MDC says were designed to strip it of its narrow parliamentary majority.

A senior human-rights lawyer Alex Muchadahama is facing trial after he was arrested while attending to a client's bail¹², at the Harare High Court, on allegations of obstructing¹³ or defeating the course of justice.

The Commercial Farmers' Union says more than 150 remaining white farmers, about half those still on their land, are on trial for trespass¹⁴. One, Marnie Grove¹⁵, said he was told by ZANU-PF defense¹⁶ minister Emmerson Mnangagwa he had to get off his land immediately because he had sought and received protection from the Southern Africa Development Community's legal tribunal, a court of last resort for the regions' citizens.

On Sunday the two most senior officials of the umbrella body representing all Zimbabwe's non government organizations were arrested in Victoria Falls and are now out on bail.

The MDC says on Tuesday evening an official from its Harare head office was arrested at his home by unidentified men in an unmarked vehicle. The party says another escaped after her kidnappers¹⁷ were overcome by people in the streets in central Harare.

Also in Zimbabwe, there was the last minute withdrawal of a visa for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman¹⁸ or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, who was due for his first "consultative" mission to Zimbabwe.

ZANU-PF officials in foreign affairs informed him that his visit was not possible as the government will be in talks Thursday with the SADC troika on security, defense and politics.

The United Nations said Nowak is not convinced this meeting is a valid¹⁹ reason for canceling his eight-day mission "at such a late stage."

Attempts by VOA to reach Mr. Chinamasa and Mr. Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba were unsuccessful.

 

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

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 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

9 erodes   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的第三人称单数 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The sea erodes the rock. 海水侵蚀岩石。
• The sea erodes the land. 海洋侵蚀陆地。

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 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》

12 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

13 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

14 trespass   

n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地

参考例句：

• The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
• The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。

15 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

19 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？