美国国家公共电台 NPR--Antigovernment protests continue in Iran, along with regime's violent crackdown

Antigovernment protests continue in Iran, along with regime's violent crackdown

Transcript¹

Despite sanctions and calls to ease up, the Iranian government continues to crack down on protests — sometimes using trials and death sentences. The protests are in their third month.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

An Iranian court this week handed down the first death sentence to a demonstrator taking part in antigovernment protests that have confronted Iran's regime for two months. Violent suppression efforts by security forces have not stopped protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody². NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE³: On Monday, European Union foreign ministers approved the latest round of sanctions against Iran's interior minister and other officials, as well as entities⁴ including Iranian media. Here's an excerpt⁵ from Press TV, Iran's English-language news channel, on the latest sanctions, as announced by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who repeated the bloc's backing for the demonstrators.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOSEP BORRELL: To support them, today the council adopted another 31 listing under the Iran human rights regime.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The channel you are watching now, Press TV, has also been added to the EU sanctions list.

KENYON: It's clear that the pressure is getting Iran's attention. One of the protestors those sanctions are intended to support is Marieh, who lives in northern Iran. Contacted via the internet, she asked that her family name not be used because she fears repercussions⁶ for speaking to the foreign media. She says her family got so fed up with the state news channels that they no longer watch television.

MARIEH: (Through interpreter) In the past 50 days, we haven't watched Iranian state TV at all. We disconnected the antenna⁷ altogether because they deliver so much nonsense and lies. We can see with our own eyes what is happening on the streets. We have been harassed⁸ ourselves as well. And then the news tries to show that there is peace and quiet, flowers and birds everywhere in the country.

KENYON: Marieh says the protests are still going strong, although her family hasn't been joining in lately.

MARIEH: (Through interpreter) Because of multiple injuries in my family members and relatives, it is hard to join street protests for us right now. We all still have scars from previous crackdowns.

KENYON: But she says once they recover, they will be back among the protesters. Iran watchers see a robust⁹ protest movement that seems determined¹⁰ to keep pushing against the authorities, the latest effort being general strikes in several parts of Iran. But the regime seems determined to continue with its crackdown. It has ample tools of suppression at its disposal. Rights groups say more than 10,000 people have been arrested; hundreds have reportedly been killed. A few days before a death sentence was handed out to a protester, I spoke¹¹ with analyst¹² Sanam Vakil at the London-based Chatham House think tank. She said numerous calls by hard-liners for severe punishment of demonstrators suggest that overt¹³ international support for the protests may wind up pushing the government to even harsher methods than have been seen to date.

SANAM VAKIL: And so I'm approaching the protest with a degree of caution because the state in Iran still retains a monopoly of the use of force to suppress people, even with violent means which they continue to demonstrate. I don't think the protests have reached a level that they could challenge that state monopoly.

KENYON: Vakil also says while she sees Iranians coming together over issues related to dignity, she has yet to see protesters agree on a common goal for what a future Iran should look like or how it should function. That, she says, is badly needed as demonstrators continue to challenge a regime that shows no sign of giving ground.

Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Istanbul.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

6 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

8 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

9 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 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。

13 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。