CCTV9英语新闻：津巴布韦大使到澳大利亚寻求政治庇护

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Australia Jacqueline Zwambila has asked the Australian government for asylum¹. She says she fears her safety would be jeopardised if she returned to Zimbabwe after her term ends on Tuesday.

"This decision I’ve taken is because I fear for the safety, for my safety when I return to Zimbabwe and just the fact that I fear for my safety I’m not going to take the chance," Zwambila said, "because there are so many precedents² which have happened in Zimbabwe, and so many stories which are coming out in the government publication the Herald³, which is also an Zanu-PF mouthpiece, plus other related internet sites."

Ambassador Zwambila is aligned⁴ to Zimbabwe's opposition⁵ Movement for Democratic Change Party. She was recalled from her post after President Robert Mugabe won a disputed election in July. She says she is worried about being detained indefinitely amid threats of arrest after a court in Zimbabwe found that she owed money to a tradesman, charges that she denies.

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement on Saturday that he would judge her request for asylum on its merits.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 precedents   

引用单元； 范例( precedent的名词复数 )； 先前出现的事例； 前例； 先例

参考例句：

• There is no lack of precedents in this connection. 不乏先例。
• He copied after bad precedents. 他仿效恶例。

3 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

4 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• 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。