VOA标准英语2009年-UN Official Calls for Dismissal of Kenya's Poli

A U.N. representative on extrajudicial killings² has called for the dismissal of Kenya's police commissioner³ and attorney general over the country's failure to address widespread killings by the police. The representative also called for widespread judicial¹ reform and for a commission to try those accused of organizing the violence that followed 2007 elections.
　
The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Philip Alston, address a press conference in Nairobi, 25 Feb. 200

Philip Alston, the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings offered a stinging indictment⁴ of Kenya's police force at the end of a 10-day trip to the country. He said he found evidence of widespread killings by the police force, including the creation of death squads⁵.

He criticized the lack of cooperation from the police force in his investigation⁶, saying police officials were the only people he spoke⁷ to in the country who maintained that the police did not engage in extralegal killings.

"Any serious commitment to ending the impunity⁸ that currently reigns⁹ in relation to this issue by the police should begin with the immediate¹⁰ dismissal of the police commissioner," Alston said. "In the absence of such a step it will be impossible to conclude that there is a strong commitment at the very top to deal with this problem."

Kenya's police force has frequently been charged with shooting suspected gangsters¹¹ and criminals. Human rights groups have raised particular concerns about the police response to a wave of killings by the Mungiki gang in 2007 and 2008, suggesting that hundreds of suspected members were in turn killed by police.

A day earlier, the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, with which Alston has been working on his visit, released filmed testimony¹² of a former policeman, who has since been killed. He described over 50 executions by police officers. Alston said he found evidence that the police had set up death squads to target the gang.

The police force has denied involvement in extrajudicial killings. spokesman dismissed the allegations of the human rights commission, suggesting the organization was being investigated for receiving money from the Mungiki gang. The commission, in turn, dismissed those charges, accusing the police of a tendency to attack the character and credibility of its critics, rather than engaging with their charges.

Alston also urged Attorney General Amos Wako to step down, saying the judicial system remains¹³ a significant obstacle to providing accountability for public officials. And he urged President Mwai Kibaki to acknowledge that a problem exists.

"The president of Kenya should publicly acknowledge the widespread problem of extrajudicial executions in Kenya and the need for sweeping¹⁴ reforms to the police sector," he said. "His silence to date on this issue is both conspicuous¹⁵ and problematic."

In addition, Alston recommended the creation of a tribunal to try those suspected of organizing attacks that killed over 1,000 people following disputed elections in 2007. The government has been trying to create such a body, but its efforts have been blocked by parliament members, some saying that it would be vulnerable to political manipulation, others, seemingly, to avoid investigation of themselves or their allies.

Alston also backed lawmakers who have called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the post-election attacks, saying Kenya represents an "ideal case for the ICC to urgently take up." He said the international court should focus on the biggest suspects, with a local court handling broader prosecution¹⁶.

Alston also said the police and military engaged in torture and extrajudicial killings in a campaign against a militia¹⁷ in the Western Mt. Elgon region last year.

Alston's charges are likely to shake up the political debate in Kenya, whose population has grown increasingly disappointed with the government's performance on a range of issues, from tackling corruption¹⁸ to prosecuting¹⁹ the organizers of political violence. But whether the government will choose to act on the recommendations is much less clear.

1 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

5 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

9 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 gangsters   

匪徒，歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
• One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。

12 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。

13 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。

14 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

15 conspicuous   

adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的

参考例句：

• It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。
• Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

16 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

17 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。

18 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

19 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。