VOA慢速英语2019 印度公民法引发暴力抗议（在线收听）

Protests Break Out Over Indian Citizenship Law

The approval of a new citizenship law by India's parliament led to protests that turned violent in Northeast India.

印度议会批准了一项新的公民法，导致印度东北部的抗议活动演变为暴力活动。

The Citizenship Amendment Bill would make it easier for non-Muslim minorities from some neighboring countries to seek Indian citizenship.

《公民身份修正案》将使一些邻国的非穆斯林少数民族更容易获得印度公民身份。

India's upper house of parliament passed the bill 125-105 on Wednesday night. It passed the lower house on Monday. The country's president needs to sign the bill before it becomes law.

印度上议院周三晚以125票对105票通过了该法案。周一，该法案在下议院获得通过。该法案需要该国总统签署后才能成为法律。

Thousands of people in Assam state protested the measure on Wednesday and Thursday.

阿萨姆邦成千上万的人在周三和周四抗议这项措施。

The law seeks to give Indian nationality to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs who fled Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan because of religious persecution before 2015.

该法律旨在赋予佛教徒、基督徒、印度教徒、耆那教徒、帕西教徒和锡克教徒印度国籍，这些人在2015年之前因宗教迫害而逃离孟加拉国、巴基斯坦和阿富汗。

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist-led government introduced the bill after an election victory in May. Modi called passage of the bill a "landmark day for India." He said the law would help ease "the suffering of many who faced persecution for years."

印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪领导的印度教民族主义者政府在今年5月的选举胜利后提出了这项法案。莫迪称，该法案的通过是“印度具有里程碑意义的一天”。他说，这项法律将有助于缓解“多年来面临迫害的许多人的痛苦”。

Protesters warned that the law would open Assam state to a flood of foreign migrants. Critics have also said the measure goes against India's constitution by not offering protection to Muslims.

抗议者警告称，该法律将使阿萨姆邦对大量外国难民开放。批评人士还指出，这项措施不向穆斯林提供保护，违反了印度宪法。

Police in Assam's main city of Guahati fired bullets and tear gas against groups of protesters. Demonstrators burned tires and blocked highways and rail lines in protests that continued even after a curfew was declared.

阿萨姆邦主要城市Guahati的警察向抗议人群发射了子弹和催泪瓦斯。示威者焚烧轮胎，封锁高速公路和铁路线，抗议活动在宵禁宣布后仍在继续。

Some Indian newspaper opinion writers said the law was an effort by Modi's administration to marginalize India's 200 million Muslims. But Home Minister Amit Shah said when introducing the bill in the upper house that it was not anti-Muslim, because it did not affect the existing path to citizenship available to all communities.

一些印度报纸的评论作家称，这项法律是莫迪政府边缘化印度2亿穆斯林的努力。但内政部长阿米特·沙阿(Amit Shah)在上议院提出该法案时表示，该法案并不反穆斯林，因为它并不影响所有社区现有的获得公民身份的途径。

However, the government has said the law will be followed by a citizenship register. This would require Muslims to prove they were original residents of India to receive citizenship consideration.

然而，政府已经表示，该法律被签署后将进行公民登记。这将要求穆斯林证明他们是印度的原始居民才能获得公民身份。

Several opposition lawmakers who debated the bill in parliament said the legislation will face legal battles in court. "Today marks a dark day in the constitutional history of India," said Sonia Gandhi of the main opposition Congress party. "Passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill marks the victory of narrow-minded and bigoted forces over India's pluralism," she added.

数名在议会辩论该法案的反对派议员表示，该法案将在法庭上面临法律诉讼。主要反对党国大党的索尼娅·甘地表示：“今天是印度宪法史上黑暗的一天。”她补充说：“公民身份修正案法案的通过标志着狭隘和偏执势力战胜了印度的多元主义。”

Words in This Story

persecution – n. the treatment of someone unfairly or cruelly because of their race, religion, or beliefs

landmark – n. an event that is famous or important in the history of something

marginalize – v. to put or keep (someone) in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group

original – adj. existing since the beginning

bigoted – adj. one who considers or treats members of a group (such as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

pluralism – n. the existence in a society of many different types of people with many different beliefs and opinions