VOA标准英语2014--Analyst: Ukrainian Separatists Aim to Swap Hostages

 

Analyst¹: Ukrainian Separatists Aim to Swap² Hostages

KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukrainian officials are accusing separatists in Eastern Ukraine of using hostages as human shields to prevent the military from taking action against them.  But some observers in Kyiv disagree. They say the hostages, including some observers with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, are being held to swap for detained pro-Russian activists³.

In the southeast Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, pro-Russian militants⁴ have detained a number of OSCE observers, journalists and local officials.

Ukrainian authorities say they have been taken hostage to deter⁵ the military from attacking. But Ukrainian political analyst Sergey Slobodchuk disagrees and says,

“I don't think that they had a far reaching plan to use them as human shields. They did not take enough hostages to protect them if the military takes action.”

Slobodchuk says the separatists do not fear retaliation⁶ from the military or police in the region, because neither group is strong enough - nor do the pro-Russian militants want to get involved in what they see as a political power struggle.

Igor Dyomin, the police spokesman for the city of Donetsk, says authorities are using dialogue rather than force to deal with the protesters who have taken over government buildings.

“We are negotiating with them and the main goal for us is prevent bloodshed.  Everybody should understand that if either side takes up arms this can grow into a war against brothers,” he said.

Separatists in Slovyansk say they want to exchange their prisoners for pro-Russian activists who were arrested in Kyiv. Bogdan Ovcharuk, with the human rights group Amnesty International, says his organization is calling for a full investigation⁷ into these detentions⁸.

“And from the reports what we see that these separatist groups are using people as a bargaining chip," he said. "It's appalling⁹. It unlawful. And this should be tackled urgently.”

Amnesty International says both pro-Kyiv and pro-Russian groups have been involved in illegally detaining people and there seems to be no national authority able to stop either side

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

3 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》

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

6 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 detentions   

拘留( detention的名词复数 )； 扣押； 监禁； 放学后留校

参考例句：

• Teachers may assign detention tasks as they wish and some detentions have been actually dangerous. 老师可能随心所欲指派关禁闭的形式，有些禁闭事实上很危险。
• Intimidation, beatings and administrative detentions are often enough to prevent them from trying again. 恐吓，拷打和行政拘留足以阻止请愿者二次进京的脚步。

9 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。