VOA常速英语2008年-Human Rights Groups Accuse Kenyan Police of Exc

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
11 March 2008
 

Kenyans are beginning to come to terms with the violence that followed the country's 2007 elections in which more than 1,000 people were killed and as many as 600,000 were displaced.  There are growing calls for investigations¹ into the extra-judicial killings² and other human rights violations³ that occurred after Kenyans went to the polls in elections that many believe were rigged. Cathy Majtenyi reports from Nairobi.

More than 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed in violence following Kenya's December 27th elections, which many say were rigged in favor of incumbent⁴ President Mwai Kibaki and his Party of National Unity⁵ at the expense of Raila Odinga, who heads the Orange Democratic Movement party.

A list of the dead compiled by the Independent Medico-Legal Unit provides gruesome details of how people were killed in the post-election violence. 

This list by the Kenyan human rights group is a description of 80 post-mortems. 

Dr. Jane Nyanyuki is the IMLU's program manager for rehabilitation⁶ and documentation. "Our pathologists' report revealed that 43 percent of the examined bodies had gunshot injuries to various parts,” she said. “Specifically those which resulted in death were to the head, the chest and the abdomen⁷."

The group says it is likely that most, or all of the bullets came from police firearms.

Executive director Samuel Mohochi explains why. "It is the state that wields⁸ the instruments of justice which include firearms, so the primary assumption we will start with (is that) only state agencies are lawfully⁹ allowed to have firearms." 

The conflict also involved an ethnic¹⁰ dimension, with certain groups burning and destroying the homes and businesses of other groups in tensions that date back to colonial times.

Kenyan and international human rights groups accuse police of using excessive force to break up post-election demonstrations¹¹ and clashes.

They maintain that the number of gunshot and other deaths in the western areas of Kenya was proportionately higher than in areas supporting the ruling party.

This was the case in the opposition¹² stronghold city of Kisumu, according to human rights activist¹³ Chris Owalla. "In Kisumu, during the violence, most of the people who were shot were shot from behind, which means that they were surrendering. Either they were running or they already surrendered," he said.

Police commissioner¹⁴ Major-General Hussein Ali has rejected accusations¹⁵ that police used excessive force in dealing¹⁶ with the unrest.

But human rights groups are concerned that violence could erupt again, despite internationally-backed efforts to achieve reconciliation¹⁷.

Gladwell Otieno, executive director of Africa Centre for Open Governance, explains, "We are receiving worrying reports of re-arming, arming, training by militias¹⁸ on both sides, particularly in the Rift¹⁹ Valley."

Human rights groups also are worried that authorities are putting pressure on those displaced to return to their homes.   These groups say many areas are still not safe for certain ethnic groups.

And there is the worry that people may be returning to places where there was widespread destruction of property and there is nothing left to support them.

This will be among the problems to be resolved following the power sharing agreement signed on February 28th by President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga.  While both men have called on Kenyans to work together to restore peace to the country, the hatred²⁰ and abuses that occurred will clearly take a long time to heal. 

1 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

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 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

7 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

8 wields   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的第三人称单数 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• She wields enormous power within the party. 她操纵着党内大权。
• He remains chairman, but wields little power at the company. 他还是主席，但在公司没有什么实权了。

9 lawfully   

adv.守法地，合法地；合理地

参考例句：

• Lawfully established contracts shall be protected by law. 依法成立的合同应受法律保护。 来自口语例句
• As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death parts us. 当成是我的合法丈夫，无论疾病灾难，直到死亡把我们分开。 来自电影对白

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

12 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。

13 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

14 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

15 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

17 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

18 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

19 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

20 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。