VOA标准英语2009年-Turkey Tense as Court Considers Kurd P

The future of Turkey's main Kurdish party hangs in the balance as the country's constitutional court deliberates whether to shut down the Democratic Society Party. The government has accused the party of supporting terrorism.

Dorian Jones | Istanbul 11 December 2009

A police officer stands at the entrance of the Constitutional Court in Ankara, Turkey, 08 Dec 2009

"If the DTP is closed, we have no plans to remain in parliament as independents. There is no point for the party to even take part in the next elections."
The future of Turkey's main Kurdish party hangs in the balance as the country's constitutional court deliberates whether to shut down the Democratic Society Party.  The government has accused the party of supporting terrorism.

Turkey's highest court this week began final deliberations on a case seeking to shut down the main Kurdish party on charges of backing the militant¹ Kurdistan Workers Party, a charge the Democratic Society Party has denied.

DTP leader Ahmet Turk condemned² the case.

"Unfortunately this is such a wrong reasoning," he said.  "We are face-to-face with such a wrong logic³ that takes our liquidation⁴ as the basis for solution to the Kurdish problem," he said.

Ahmet Turk, chairman of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party addresses lawmakers at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, 08 Dec 2009
"If the DTP is closed, we have no plans to remain in parliament as independents.  There is no point for the party to even take part in the next elections," he said.

Analysts⁵ say the party could take its struggle for greater Kurdish rights to the streets, further ratcheting up ethnic⁶ tensions.  And, this week, it seemed to begin.

Kurdish youths clashed with police in several cities across the predominantly Kurd region in southeast of Turkey.  The protests were in response to the death of a student who was demonstrating over the treatment of imprisoned⁷ Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

The student was shot in the back at close range in what human-rights activists⁸ say was an execution by security forces.  The government says the killing⁹ is being investigated. 

The DTP is widely seen as being the voice for much of the country's Kurdish population.  The party scored a landslide¹⁰ victory in this year's local elections and regularly secures a majority of the votes in parliamentary polls in the region.

The closure of the pro-Kurdish party could have far-reaching consequences on Turkey's bid to join the European Union warns Richard Howitt, a member of the European Parliament's standing¹¹ committee on Turkey.

"It is a disaster if a mainstream¹² political party, which clearly represents a legitimate¹³ strand¹⁴ of the electorate¹⁵ ... because what does that mean?  It really questions whether there is a democratic plurality within the country, and I cannot predict what the European response might be, but what I know is that could be as bad suspension," he said.

Since its creation in 1964 the constitutional court has closed down 24 political parties.  Since the 1990s it has been mainly pro-Kurdish parties that have been shut.  Last year, the ruling Justice and Development Party narrowly escaped closure after being convicted by the court of threatening the secular¹⁶ state.

Court Chief Hasan Killic has appealed to the government to change the law to prevent such closure cases.  That call has been echoed by the European Union, but the calls have gone unheeded.  Now observers say hopes of change seem remote as the government is facing a growing nationalist backlash over its peace efforts to resolve the Kurdish conflict.

One of the mothers of the seven Turkish soldiers killed Monday in an attack that is being blamed on the PKK.

Thousands of people demonstrated against rebels, chanting "Our country will never be divided" as ethnic tensions continue to rise.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara, Turkey, 04 Dec 2009
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and promised a harsh response.

He says surely, those who realized and planned this despicable attack and who pulled the trigger will reap the consequences.  I am repeating one more time, whoever was at the front and behind this act will pay the heaviest price.

Newspaper columnist¹⁷ and political scientist of Istanbul University Nuray Mert warns the increasingly harsh rhetoric¹⁸ from both sides gives little hope for peace. 
"The Kurdish problem does not lead anywhere.  Not only on behalf of state policies, but also on behalf of Kurdish politics," said Mert.  "Their discourse¹⁹ will get even more provocative²⁰. And I then think another wave of harsh discourse will come out and it will turn out into a vicious cycle of provocations²¹.  State discourse and Kurdish discourse , and then more tough state discourse.  It does not lead any where."

This week the deputy leader of the DTP, Emine Ayna, declared the government peace efforts dead.  That may be premature²², but observers warn if the DTP is closed it could deal those efforts a mortal blow, as well as having far-reaching international consequences and plunging²³ the country into chaos²⁴.
 

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

4 liquidation   

n.清算，停止营业

参考例句：

• The bankrupt company went into liquidation.这家破产公司停业清盘。
• He lost all he possessed when his company was put into liquidation.当公司被清算结业时他失去了拥有的一切。

5 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。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 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。

8 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》

9 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。

10 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

11 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。

12 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

13 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。

14 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

15 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

16 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

17 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

18 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

19 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

20 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

21 provocations   

n.挑衅( provocation的名词复数 )；激怒；刺激；愤怒的原因

参考例句：

• We cannot ignore such provocations. 对于这种挑衅，我们不能置之不理。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They must immediately cease all their provocations. 他们必须停止一切挑衅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

23 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。