时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2012年(十月)


英语课

 


Bahrain Court Decision on Medics Sparks Outcry



Bahraini authorities arrested the nine medics in Manama at the height of last year's protests as uprisings swept across the Arab world.


Their convictions include theft of medical equipment, occupying a hospital and incitement 1 to topple the state.


Dr. Nada Dhaif was among 20 medics arrested, but her conviction was quashed by an appeals court in June.


"These charges, they absolutely have no base and no proof at all," said Dhaif. "These are all political verdicts against the doctors and medics in Bahrain in order to punish them for treating the patients."


All the medics are from Bahrain's Shia majority. Shia protesters are demanding greater freedom and equality from the Sunni al-Khalifa monarchy 2.


Covadonga de la Campa of Amnesty International called the court's decision outrageous 3.


"They have no more recourse to appeal and if their sentences are implemented 4 they will be sent back to prison," said De la Campa. "If they are sent back to prison we would consider them to be prisoners of conscience."


Despite the government crackdown, the protests continue on an almost daily basis.


Jane Kinninmont is an expert on Bahrain at the London policy institute Chatham House.


"The opposition 5 says that there are over 1,000 political prisoners," said Kinninmont. "The government for its part says that there is not a single one. One of the problems is that one year on from the Bahrain independent commission of inquiry 6, there is very little in the way of objective, reliable sources of information that are believed by both sides."


That inquiry was meant to answer accusations 7 of police brutality 8 and torture against the protesters. Seven officers are being put on trial. But medic Nada Dhaif believes it is just for show.


"They attend the trials wearing their uniforms," added Dhaif. "They're not even suspended. Whatever the government is promoting that they're doing reforms and they are in the process of putting the torturers and the perpetrators in front of justice, it's not real."


Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid bin 9 Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Khalifa did not mention the protests directly, instead accusing Iran of meddling 10 in his country's affairs.


Analyst 11 Jane Kinninmont of Chatham House says the protests in Bahrain rarely make the headlines in the West.


"I think it's partly an issue of media access, but it is also something that's quite uncomfortable for Western politicians who are trying to draw a distinction between their allies and the human rights abusers of the Arab world," Kinninmont noted 12


In further protests Saturday, police shot dead a 17-year-old boy during what the opposition claims was a peaceful rally. The interior ministry 13 says the teenager was throwing firebombs. Nineteen months after protesters took to the streets, Bahrain's uprising shows few signs of dying down. 




1 incitement
激励; 刺激; 煽动; 激励物
  • incitement to racial hatred 种族仇恨的挑起
  • Interest is an incitement to study. 兴趣刺激学习。
2 monarchy
n.君主,最高统治者;君主政体,君主国
  • The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
  • The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的,无甚实际意义。
3 outrageous
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的
  • 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。
4 implemented
v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效
  • This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革,经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句
5 opposition
n.反对,敌对
  • 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。
6 inquiry
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
7 accusations
n.指责( accusation的名词复数 );指控;控告;(被告发、控告的)罪名
  • There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
  • He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。
8 brutality
n.野蛮的行为,残忍,野蛮
  • The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
  • a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军
9 bin
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件
  • He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
  • He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
10 meddling
v.干涉,干预(他人事务)( meddle的现在分词 )
  • He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
  • They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野,因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句
11 analyst
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家
  • 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。
12 noted
adj.著名的,知名的
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
13 ministry
n.(政府的)部;牧师
  • 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。