2007年VOA标准英语-Key US Lawmaker Condemns Sentencing of Dissiden

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
30 March 2007

A key Republican lawmaker and strong voice in Congress on human rights issues is condemning² the sentencing of a leading Vietnamese dissident and four other democracy activists⁴ on charges of anti-government activities. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.

A statement by Congressman⁵ Chris Smith of New Jersey⁶ calls the sentencing of Father Nguyen Van Ly to an eight-year jail term "outrageous⁷ and appalling⁸" and urges the Bush administration to immediately intervene with authorities in Hanoi to secure his release.

The 60-year-old Catholic priest and political activist³ was sentenced by a court in the central city of Hue¹⁰ after being convicted of disseminating¹¹ anti-government documents and communicating with pro-democracy advocates abroad.

A Vietnamese judge also sentenced Nguyen Phong of Hue to six years in prison and Nguyen Binh Thanh to five years. Two other activists, Le Thi Le Hang and Hoang Thi Anh Dao, received suspended sentences of two years and 18 months respectively.

During the trial, which in an unusual step by authorities was observed by a foreign journalists as well as diplomats¹³, the priest shouted denunciations of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party.

He and the four other co-defendants were not represented by lawyers, and were removed from the courtroom at one point, with Ly shouting "Vietnam practices the law of the jungle."

A little more than two weeks ago, Congressman Smith introduced a resolution in Congress condemning a crackdown on dissent¹⁴ launched by Vietnamese authorities earlier this year.

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Congressman Chris Smith (l) with Vietnamese democracy activist Doan Viet Hoat at the Capitol Hill news conference in Washington, 14 Mar 2007

Smith's resolution warns that ongoing¹⁵ harassment¹⁶, detentions¹⁷ and arrests will harm Vietnam's broadening ties with the United States and possibly result in Vietnam being put back on a State Department list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe and ongoing violations¹⁸ of religious freedom.

The lawmaker used a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, which took place before news of Father Ly's sentence was confirmed, to renew his assertion that granting Vietnam permanent normal trade status with the United States, has brought only stepped-up oppression.

"This is a case worthy¹⁹ of particular attention as the Vietnamese government audaciously resumed its past oppression of human rights, after Congress agreed to Vietnam becoming an official member of the W.T.O. [World Trade Organization] in December," he said.

The same hearing brought criticism from two former State Department human rights officials, John Shattuck and Harold Koh, of current U.S. priorities on human rights.

Koh, a former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights, says the Bush administration needs to take a stronger stance with Hanoi on the issue.

"The human rights dialogue is a key forum²⁰ in which we conduct inside-outside engagement with them, by which I mean pushing from the outside but pressing human rights through direct contact, demanding the status of particular political prisoners, and that there has to be a need to couple the economic relationship with Vietnam with greater attention to these human rights concerns," said Koh.

In his statement, Congressman Smith says the sentencing of Father Nguyen Van Ly and the four other activists shows that reforms in Vietnam are, in his words, "nothing more than smoke and mirrors".

Smith is calling on the Bush administration to tell Hanoi that persecution²¹ of political activists is unacceptable and to press for the immediate⁹ release of Father Ly and other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

After Friday's sentencing, a U.S. diplomat¹² who had observed the trial read a statement calling on Vietnamese authorities to allow individuals to peacefully exercise their legitimate²² rights to freedom of speech without fear of recrimination, and expressing concern over arrests of dissidents in the government crackdown.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 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》

5 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。

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

7 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

8 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。

9 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。

10 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

11 disseminating   

散布，传播( disseminate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Our comrades in propaganda work have the task of disseminating Marxism. 我们作宣传工作的同志有一个宣传马克思主义的任务。
• Disseminating indecent photographs on the internet a distasteful act. 在因特网上发布不雅照片是卑劣的行径。

12 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

13 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

17 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。

18 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

19 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

20 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

21 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

22 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。