2006年VOA标准英语-Uzbekistan Forces International NGOs to Le

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
08 March 2006

  
  
The government of Uzbekistan is cracking  down against Western organizations in the country in what some regional analysts¹ see as a backlash against the United States.    The international non-governmental groups affected² in the latest clampdown include Freedom House and the Eurasia Foundation.

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The deputy director of Freedom House, Thomas Melia, summarizes the latest actions taken by the Uzbek government against his organization.

"In mid-January, a civil court in Tashkent, after a proceeding³ that had gone on for several months, ruled that we were in violation⁴ of a couple of laws, including laws that had been enacted⁵ while we were in court, and ordered that our office be suspended for six months," he said.  "More recently, an appeal of that decision was denied, and we were ordered to liquidate⁶ our assets in Uzbekistan, by the Tashkent civil court, and so, we're doing that this week."

He says his group has been working to train Uzbeks to document human rights violations⁷ cases or legally represent people who have been unjustly accused of crimes.

"We were specifically charged with allowing Uzbek citizens to have access to the Internet in our offices, as if that was something wrong," he added.  "And, also, for allowing unregistered groups to meet in our offices.  We had had offices in Namangan and Samarkand, as well as Tashkent.  And, those had been closed down a few months earlier."

The decision against Freedom House came Monday, the same day the Tashkent City Court also suspended the Eurasia Foundation's activities in Uzbekistan.  Recent court orders also have led to the closures of the offices of IREX, a non-profit education group, and Internews, an organization that fosters international media.

Frederick Starr, the chairman of Johns Hopkins University's Central Asia Caucasus Institute, says the recent actions in Uzbekistan may be a result of what he describes as a general backlash against the United States.

"Now, you can say, and I think it's fair to say that to some extent, this is a further reaction simply to America's very powerful presence in the world," said Mr. Starr.  "These people are saying the same things of NGOs as they might of American government or businesses.  The U.S. is a powerful presence and it does, almost by its existence, create a certain amount of criticism."

He adds that many former Soviet⁸ governments are still taking their cues from Moscow.

"Well, it's common to say this is all flowing from Russian practice, and in a sense, there's truth in that," he explained.  "I think the crackdowns in Russia legitimize, in the eyes of some of the countries, what they want to do anyway." 

The latest moves in Uzbekistan come as Tashkent issued tighter restrictions⁹ on the activities of foreign journalists in the country, requiring them to register with the government.

Freedom House Central Asia senior program manager Alexander Gupman added that foreigners are not the Uzbek government's only targets.  He says Tashkent also has carried out a systematic¹⁰ crackdown on domestic organizations as well.

"And they've been democracy activists¹¹, bee-hive collectives, football or soccer organizations.  It has been any group that has organized in the country, and they've been systematically¹² being closed down," said Mr. Gupman.

He said the Uzbek government's actions reflect a trend in the Central Asian region.  But, he has praise for one country, Kyrgystan.

"I think the next few months will really be a critical time period as we see what happens in Central Asia, and if, looking at Kyrgystan as sort of a focal point, what direction that country goes in, I think Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are on a downward trajectory¹³.  Kazakhstan is veering¹⁴ on a downward trajectory," he added.

Gupman said Freedom House has not yet determined¹⁵ what it will do for Uzbekistan, but plans to, in his words, "continue to provide a lifeline" to Uzbeks.
  
The Uzbek Embassy in Washington did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Meanwhile, in its just-released annual report on human rights, the U.S. State Department said Tashkent's already poor human rights record worsened considerably¹⁶ last year.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

4 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

5 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 liquidate   

v.偿付，清算，扫除；整理，破产

参考例句：

• A unanimous vote was taken to liquidate the company.全体投票一致通过停业清理公司。
• They have not hesitated in the past to liquidate their rivals.过去他们曾毫不犹豫地铲除对手。

7 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

11 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》

12 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

13 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

14 veering   

n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• Anyone veering too close to the convoys risks being shot. 任何人改变方向，过于接近车队就有遭枪击的风险。 来自互联网
• The little boat kept veering from its course in such a turbulent river. 小船在这湍急的河中总是改变方向。 来自互联网

15 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。

16 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。