美国国家公共电台 NPR--The climate summit is drawing attention to Egypt's poor human rights record

The climate summit is drawing attention to Egypt's poor human rights record

Transcript¹

The United Nation's annual climate conference is supposed to be the forum² for the world to address global warming — but in Egypt many activist³ voices aren't being heard.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This year's United Nations Climate Conference is quieter than some previous ones. Egypt is hosting the meeting known as COP27 at a seaside resort, which showcases Egypt, but the meeting also draws attention to the country's human rights record. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports.

RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE⁴: Past U.N. Climate Conferences have seen crowds of thousands of protesters outside the convention halls shouting for climate action, a way of keeping the pressure on leaders of countries and corporations. This year couldn't be more different. The large, flat expanse outside the conference hall is empty, except for these guys.

YIET LEE: (Singing) Go vegan, go vegan, go. No egg, no meat, no dairy. No, no, no, no, no, no.

SHERLOCK: Yiet Lee is from Singapore, and she's part of a group that's against eating animal products.

LEE: We start from the first day until now.

SHERLOCK: And, I mean, you guys are one of the only people protesting here.

LEE: That's why we say, how come no other activists⁵ here? We're surprised.

SHERLOCK: The U.N. rotates the conference, and this year, it was Africa's turn. But Egypt has a long history of stifling⁶ dissent⁷, often violently. The country has thousands of political prisoners, and rights groups say dozens of Egyptian environmental activists were arrested after they tried to plan a demonstration⁸ to take place during this conference. Here's Richard Pearshouse from Human Rights Watch.

RICHARD PEARSHOUSE: And so essentially⁹, what Egypt is trying to do is to control the international narrative¹⁰ around climate and not allow any space for domestic scrutiny¹¹.

SHERLOCK: One event that did draw a big crowd was a human rights panel with the sister of an Egyptian British blogger in jail for almost a decade.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: And the sister of prisoner of conscience, Alaa Abdel El Fattah, whose condition and plight¹² the whole world is worried about. And we are all watching.

(APPLAUSE)

SHERLOCK: Egypt has said people raising his case are interfering¹³ with their judiciary. Egypt has created a dedicated¹⁴ protest area, as is traditional at these U.N. conferences, but it's extremely hard to find. I eventually do locate it, a small patch of land sandwiched between a highway and a row of metal barriers.

So this small group of people is located, oh, about a 10-minute drive from the conference. The conference center is so far away you couldn't possibly see it.

Seeing journalists arrive, someone organizes the demonstrators, a few dozen people, into a chant.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Climate justice.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Climate justice.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Justice now.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Justice now.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Chanting) Justice now.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Justice now.

SHERLOCK: But there's something strange about these protesters. They seem to know little about climate issues, like Taher Salem, a government employee who tells me he's come to welcome world leaders.

TAHER SALEM: We like to come to see all over the people here from all over the world with President el-Sisi.

SHERLOCK: Other conferences, people come to protest. But you are here to support.

SALEM: Yeah, we are here to support the conference.

SHERLOCK: As we speak, I overhear someone warn the group that the journalists can understand Arabic. I ask Salem what he thinks about the reports of arrests of climate activists and if he thinks people are afraid to protest. No, no, no, he tells me, there are no problems in this seaside town, just nice weather.

Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Sharm El Sheikh.

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 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。

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 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。

5 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》

6 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。

7 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。

8 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

11 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

12 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

13 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

14 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。