VOA标准英语2012--Guantanamo’s 10th Anniversary Marked by Protests

Guantanamo’s 10th Anniversary Marked by Protests

Hundreds of demonstrators marched in a cold rain along Pennsylvania Avenue.
They were led by protesters in black hoods¹ and orange jump suits, representing the 171 detainees still held at the Guantanamo Bay detention² center.
Tom Parker, with Amnesty International, said “Guantanamo has been open 10 years too long. It is not keeping anybody safe. It is only open really now because of domestic politics. It serves no real useful purpose. It is a stain on America’s reputation.”
Of the nearly 780 detainees brought to Guantanamo over the past decade, about 600 have been released.
Opponents of the facility say the vast majority of the remaining prisoners are not a national security threat to the United States.
Protester Dan Burgevin has been living shackled³, in a cage, across from the White House.
“We continue this abominable⁴ program that jails people with no charge and keeps them away from their families and people that they love," siad Burgevin. "I mean we just have to ask ourselves as Americans, would we want to be treated that way?”
Ten years ago, and just months after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the first detainees were flown into Guantanamo.
Images of shackled prisoners in orange jumpsuits captured in the War on Terror led to human rights groups questioning the interrogation techniques being used there.
Some analysts⁵ that support Guantanamo refer to those held there as “hybrid warriors” and say detention of the enemy during wartime is part of a broader effort to win the conflict.
Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Cully Stimson:
“You detain people not to punish them," said Stimson. "You detain people lawfully⁶ under the law of armed conflict to prevent them from taking up arms against you. You don’t want to rearm the enemy while you are trying to defeat the enemy.”
Still, former detainees say their time spent in Guantanamo represents a dark page in the modern history of humanity.
Moazzam Begg spent two years in Guantanamo. “And this is an anniversary of tragedy, of pain, of torment⁷, of families ripped apart," said Begg.
President Barack Obama promised to close the Guantanamo detention center, but Congress has blocked efforts to move the prisoners.
The political situation has been difficult, according to Congressman⁸ Jim Moran.
“And the political reality is that, unless the American people become better educated about this and far more forceful in terms of caring about it within the context of the democratic process, it’s not going to change," said Moran.
Now, 10 years after the first terrorism suspects were sent to Guantanamo, protests continue.
There is no sign the detention center will close anytime soon.

1 hoods   

n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩

参考例句：

• Michael looked at the four hoods sitting in the kitchen. 迈克尔瞅了瞅坐在厨房里的四条汉子。 来自教父部分
• Eskimos wear hoods to keep their heads warm. 爱斯基摩人戴兜帽使头暖和。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 shackled   

给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The hostage had been shackled to a radiator. 当时人质被铐在暖气片上。
• He was shackled and in darkness of torment. 他被困在黑暗中备受煎熬。

4 abominable   

adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的

参考例句：

• Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

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 lawfully   

adv.守法地，合法地；合理地

参考例句：

• Lawfully established contracts shall be protected by law. 依法成立的合同应受法律保护。 来自口语例句
• As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death parts us. 当成是我的合法丈夫，无论疾病灾难，直到死亡把我们分开。 来自电影对白

7 torment   

n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠

参考例句：

• He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
• Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。