U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged North Korea to grant clemency for two American journalists sentenced to 12 years in prison on Monday for illegally entering that country and another unspecified offense. Clinton said the United States is trying every possible channel to gain the Americans' release.
美国国务卿克林顿呼吁北韩仁慈处理星期一被判刑的两名美国记者。这两名记者被以非法进入北韩及另一项未公开说明的罪名被判处12年强制劳动。克林顿国务卿说，美国正在努力通过各种可能的渠道争取两人获释。
The Obama administration has tried to keep the case of the two journalists separate from broader problems with North Korea - including its recent nuclear test - and it is appealing for their release on humanitarian grounds, now that their brief close-door trial has ended.
奥巴马政府努力将这两名记者被逮捕判刑的事件跟有关北韩发展核武器等的其他问题分开。在北韩对她们进行了短暂的闭门审判之后，美国呼吁北韩基于人道立场将这两名记者释放。
Americans Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were detained along the North Korea-China border in mid-March, were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering the country and committing an undefined "grave crime" against the communist state.
两名美国记者，凌志美和李妍儿今年3月中旬在中国和北韩边界被逮捕。她们被以非法入境和其他未经说明的“严重罪行”被判处12年强制劳动。
Although U.S. officials initially dismissed the charges against them as baseless, the Obama administration has since dropped that language.
虽然美国官员一开始曾表示这些指控毫无根据，但现在奥巴马政府已经不再使用这样的语言。
At a press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Noer Hassan Wirajuda, Secretary Clinton said the United States is focused on obtaining clemency for the two journalists - a matter she said that should be seen as separate from the nuclear issue.
在跟印尼外长举行的联合记者会上，美国国务卿克林顿说，美国现在致力于让北韩以仁慈的态度将这两名记者释放，而且这个问题应该跟北韩的核问题分开来看。
"We are pursuing every possible approach that we can consider in order to persuade the North Koreans to release them and send these young women home," said Hillary Clinton. "We view these as entirely separate matters. We think the imprisonment trial and sentencing of Laura and Euna should be viewed as a humanitarian matter. We hope that the North Koreans will grant clemency and deport them. There are other concerns that we and the international community have with North Korea, but those are separate and apart from what's happening to the two women."
她说：“我们正在通过各种可能的渠道来说服北韩释放她们，让这两名年轻的女士回家。我们认为这个事件是完全不同的事情，对她们的审理和判刑应该被看作是一个人道的问题。我们希望北韩能够施以仁慈，将她们释放。”克林顿国务卿说，美国和国际社会跟北韩之间还有其他问题，不过那些问题跟两名女记者的事件是完全不同的问题。
Clinton declined to elaborate on her assertion that every possible channel with the North Koreans was being used. But officials here said this has included a letter to North Korean authorities from the Secretary, apparently urging clemency and explaining the circumstances of the two reporters' presence along the border on March 17.
克林顿不愿意说明她所说的所有可能的渠道都是哪些渠道。但是，国务院有关官员透露说，其中包括克林顿国务卿给北韩当局的信。克林顿显然在信中敦促北韩仁慈地处理两名记者的事件，并解释了当时她们在中朝边境的情况。
The United States and North Korea do not maintain diplomatic relations, but they often exchange messages through North Korea's U.N. mission in New York.
美国和北韩现在没有外交关系，两国通过北韩在纽约联合国代表团交换信息。
The reporters were detained by North Korean border guards as they worked on a story about North Korean refugees in China for the California-based media company Current TV.
There have been published suggestions that former Vice President Al Gore, a co-founder of Current TV, or some other senior U.S. political figure might travel to North Korea to intercede. But State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly declined comment on Monday, citing the sensitivity of the case.
美国前副总统戈尔是潮流电视台的创办人之一。最近一些报道说，戈尔或其他美国高级政界人士可能会前往北韩说情。但是美国国务院发言人凯利以有关问题非常敏感为由，拒绝进一步说明。
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists urged world powers involved in stalled nuclear talks with North Korea to work collectively for the reporters' release. A United Nations spokesman expressed concern about the "harsh" sentences and voiced hope for an expeditious resolution of the matter.
总部设在纽约的“保护记者委员会”敦促参与北韩核问题谈判国家联手争取这两名记者的获释。此外，联合国发言人也对北韩对她们所判的重刑表示关切，并表示希望这一事件能够尽快解决。 |