2007年VOA标准英语-Zimbabwean Activists Seek UN Investigation of G

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
20 September 2007

Human Rights Activists¹ from Zimbabwe are seeking support from Latin American countries to raise awareness² of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.  They are also urging the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold the government of Robert Mugabe accountable for gross violations³.   Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva where the Council is in the midst of a three-week session.

Zimbabwe human rights defender⁴, Tafadzwa Ralph Mugabe, says efforts to condemn⁵ Zimbabwe for gross violations of human rights have largely failed, because they have been led by Western countries. 

He says countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States are perceived as having imperialist or colonialist designs on Zimbabwe.  And, that has caused other countries to close ranks behind the government of President Robert Mugabe and allow it to escape reproof⁶.

He says Zimbabwean activists are trying to discredit⁷ this perception by linking up with Latin American nations. 

"If we do maybe come to the U.N. Council, to the U.N., with a partnership⁸ of countries from Latin America, it is our perception that they do not have imperialist or colonialist aspirations⁹ in the region, in Southern Africa and Zimbabwe to be specific," he noted¹⁰.  "Traditionally, the criticism that has been leveled against the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, it is true to say has come from the West, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Nordic countries." 

This, says Tafadzwa Ralph Mugabe (who is no relation to the president), has allowed the government to successfully accuse western countries of trying to compromise Zimbabwe's sovereignty.

Zimbabwe repeatedly escaped international condemnation¹¹ at the former U.N. Human Rights Commission. And, now, again, at the Human Rights Council. 

The Council has not appointed a special rapporteur to examine Zimbabwe's human rights record.  United Nations investigators¹² have been repeatedly denied access to the country to probe the human rights situation.

Mugabe says no African country has gone out on a limb to criticize Zimbabwe.

"With African countries, what one finds is that there is the tendency of still pursuing, of maybe perhaps deliberately¹³ keeping quiet and turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the situation in any other country, but under the guise¹⁴ of Pan Africanism and under the guise of respecting the state sovereignty of a fellow African country," he added.

The Zimbabwean lawyer and human rights defender says the misdeeds of President Robert Mugabe are well known.  He says the government's massive eviction¹⁵ of slum dwellers¹⁶ has made nearly 750,000 people homeless.  He says Mr. Mugabe's disastrous¹⁷ economic policies have caused inflation to skyrocket. 

He says the U.N. Human Rights Council must take action to halt the abusive treatment of millions of Zimbabwe's citizens.  He says failure to do so will be seen as a result of ignorance, indifference¹⁸ or complicity.

1 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》

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 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。

4 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

5 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

6 reproof   

n.斥责，责备

参考例句：

• A smart reproof is better than smooth deceit.严厉的责难胜过温和的欺骗。
• He is impatient of reproof.他不能忍受指责。

7 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

12 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

14 guise   

n.外表，伪装的姿态

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
• The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。

15 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

16 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

18 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。