VOA慢速英语2018--越南人在德国被判处绑架罪

Vietnamese Sentenced for Kidnapping in Germany

A German court has sent to prison a Vietnamese man for helping¹ his country carry out a kidnapping in Berlin last year.

German officials identified the man as Long N.H. He appeared before a German court last week and admitted guilt² in the kidnapping of Vietnamese citizen Trinh Xuan Thanh.

Long N.H. reportedly worked with Vietnamese security forces to carry out the crime. The court sentenced Long N.H. to almost four years in prison.

Thanh, a former oil businessman, had requested asylum³ in Germany. The government there says armed Vietnamese agents forced Thanh, and a woman with him, off a Berlin street and into a car on July 23, 2017. Many people reported seeing the kidnapping.

A few days later, both Thanh and the woman were in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital.

But, Vietnam says Thanh returned to his homeland voluntarily.

The government had sought him for trial on corruption⁴ charges. It accused him of causing losses and other failures at PetroVietnam Construction JSC. He is now serving a life sentence in Vietnam.

Thanh’s case is part of a major anti-corruption campaign in Vietnam. More than 100 people, many from state-owned businesses, have been tried, found guilty and given prison terms in connection with the campaign. A few have received death sentences.

The kidnapping damaged relations between the two countries. The German Foreign Ministry⁵ expelled two Vietnamese diplomats⁶ and accused Vietnam of violating international law.

I’m Caty Weaver⁷.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

3 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。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• 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。

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。