VOA常速英语2017--美国抨击俄罗斯无理打压非政府组织

For the past four years, the Russian government has sought to silence critics of government policy, accusing them of being disloyal, foreign-sponsored, or even traitorous¹.

过去的4年里，俄罗斯政府一直想尽办法湮没对政府政策的批评之声，谴责其为国外势力主导的不忠行为，甚至称其为叛国行为。

A central tool of the Russian government in executing this crackdown has been the 2012 law requiring nongovernmental organizations to register as “foreign agents” if they receive any foreign funding and engage in broadly defined “political activity.” The use of the term “foreign agent” is a deliberate choice suggesting that these organizations are traitors². The definition of political activity under the law is so broad and vague that it effectively extends to all aspects of advocacy and human rights work.

俄罗斯实施这种打压的一个核心方法就是其2012年设立的法律，该项法律要求任何接收境外资金或参涉广义上“政治活动”的非政府组织以“境外势力”的身份进行注册。“境外势力”这个措辞的使用是俄罗斯故意为之，目的就是要表明这些机构是叛国贼。而该项法律里所谓政治活动的定义太过宽泛模糊，可以延伸到倡议主题的方方面面以及人权工作中。

To date, Russia's Justice Ministry³ has designated 155 groups as “foreign agents.” Indeed, under this legislation Russia has targeted organizations dedicated⁴ to defending human rights, fighting torture, preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, and even protecting migratory⁵ birds.

目前为止，俄罗斯司法部已认定155个组织为“境外势力”。实际上，通过这项法律，俄罗斯相当于已经一棒子拉黑了很多致力于维护人权、反抗虐待、预防艾滋病传播，甚至保护候鸟的组织。

In February 2016, a court forced the closure of Agora Association, one of Russia's leading human rights organizations, in response to a Justice Ministry suit alleging⁶ that the group violated the “foreign agents” law and carried out work beyond its mandate⁷.

2016年2月，某法院强迫俄罗斯一家行业领先的人权机构Agora Association关闭，此举是应俄罗斯司法部控诉该组织违背“境外势力”法以及实施了超越权力范围的工作内容之后做出的。

Founded in 2005, Agora human rights association is a network of lawyers and advocates who have defended the many Russians accused of political activity under Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among its high-profile clients are the opposition⁸ rock group and arts collective Pussy⁹ Riot and opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Agora人权协会成立于2005年，由一群律师和倡议者组成，他们曾捍卫过很多被普京总统谴责为参涉政治活动的俄罗斯人。其中较为高调的组织有唱反调的摇滚艺术组合Pussy Riot以及政治家亚历克谢纳瓦尔尼(Alexei Navalny)。

The people of Russia deserve a strong, democratic government that respects the role that civil society plays in holding governments accountable and providing essential services, rather than stifling¹⁰ NGOs' important work. The United States, said State Department Spokesperson John Kirby, "urges the Russian government to abolish this legislation today and uphold its international human rights commitments."

俄罗斯人民值得拥有一个强大、民主的政府，一个尊重民间社会在监督政府问责、提供必要服务方面作用的政府，而不是一个扼杀非政府组织的重要工作。美国，国务院发言人约翰说，“敦促俄罗斯政府废止这项法律，并坚守其对国际人权的承诺。”

1 traitorous   

adj. 叛国的, 不忠的, 背信弃义的

参考例句：

• All traitorous persons and cliques came to no good end. 所有的叛徒及叛徒集团都没好下场。
• Most of the time I keep such traitorous thoughts to myself. 这种叛逆思想我不大向别人暴露。

2 traitors   

卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人

参考例句：

• Traitors are held in infamy. 叛徒为人所不齿。
• Traitors have always been treated with contempt. 叛徒永被人们唾弃。

3 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。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

6 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 pussy   

n.(儿语)小猫，猫咪

参考例句：

• Why can't they leave my pussy alone?为什么他们就不能离我小猫咪远一点？
• The baby was playing with his pussy.孩子正和他的猫嬉戏。

10 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。