VOA标准英语2008年-US Lawmakers Question Assurances Against Tortur

By Dan Robinson
Washington
10 June 2008

U.S. lawmakers have questioned a State Department official about the validity of diplomatic assurances the United States receives from foreign governments that they will not use torture. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, testimony¹ to a House subcommittee came in the wake of a U.S. government decision to reopen an investigation² of the case of Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen who alleged³ he was tortured after being deported⁴ to Syria in 2002.
　

John Bellinger

A 37-year-old engineer with dual⁵ Canadian-Syrian citizenship⁶, Arar was detained in September 2002 at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, questioned and later deported via Jordan to Syria where he alleges⁷ he was subjected to torture. He was released in October 2003.

Arar made this statement in televised testimony to a congressional committee last year: "I also hope to convey how fragile our human rights have become, and how easily they can be taken from us by the same governments that have sworn to protect the," he said.

In 2006, a Canadian judicial⁸ inquiry⁹ cleared Arar of any links to terrorists or terrorist groups, and criticized an early Canadian federal police description of him as an Islamic extremist.

Arar received a formal apology from the Canadian government and was awarded $10 million compensation, but his attempts to sue the U.S. government have been dismissed, and he remains¹⁰ barred from entering the U.S.

Last week, Homeland Security Inspector¹¹ General Richard Skinner pointed¹² to additional information, which he did not detail, contradicting one of the conclusions in the department's original report on the Arar case.

And he said this about diplomatic assurances given to the United States by Syria regarding the use of torture. "We concluded that assurances upon which I.N.S (Immigration and Naturalization Service) based Arar's removal were ambiguous regarding the source or authority purporting¹³ to bind¹⁴ the Syrian government [in its assurance regarding torture]."

On Tuesday, State Department legal adviser¹⁵ John Bellinger defended the practice of obtaining diplomatic assurances, describing it as part of a process that helps protect Americans from threats. "Simply that a country has a bad human rights record and we may be pounding on them every day with respect to their human rights record, doesn't mean that every individual that is returned to that country would be tortured," he said.

These are individual determinations, Bellinger said, while noting that the U.S. has a legal obligation not to send individuals to countries where "it is more likely than not" they would be subjected to torture.

Critics have described the Arar case as one of extraordinary rendition, in which the U.S. has sent suspected terrorist suspects to foreign countries for interrogation.

Bellinger reiterates¹⁶ the Bush administration position that Arar's case falls under the legal framework of an immigration-related deportation¹⁷. "This is a myth that it was a rendition. A rendition as I have always understood the term as a lawyer, is a transfer of an individual outside of the extradition¹⁸ or other legal framework," he said.

Subcommittee chairman William Delahunt questioned the reliability¹⁹ of diplomatic assurances against torture. "As a matter of policy, to ask people to make these kinds of decisions that inherently are going to result in mistakes, further mistakes, it is a policy that really needs to be reviewed," he said.

One panel Republican, Congressman²⁰ Joe Pitts, asked if members of Congress could examine specific diplomatic assurances on torture received from foreign governments.

Such details, Bellinger responded, are part of U.S. government foreign affairs functions and are not normally provided to Congress. That brought a rebuke²¹ from Congressman Delahunt who said any lawmaker has a right to obtain such information.

An attorney for Arar has said it is clear U.S. officials knew he would be tortured or was likely to be, if sent to Syria, pointing to Inspector General Skinner's description of diplomatic assurances in the Arar case as ambiguous.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice acknowledged in congressional testimony last year that the Arar case was not handled properly. "The United States absolutely does not wish to transfer anyone to any place in which they might be tortured," she said.

Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged the Bush administration last week to provide what he called a full explanation of the Arar matter, and to follow the Canadian government's example in accepting responsibility.

1 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 purporting   

v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cindy Adams (Columnist) : He's purporting to be Mother Teresa. 辛迪？亚当斯（专栏作家）：他无意成为德兰修女。 来自互联网
• To prohibit certain practices purporting to be sales by auction. 本条例旨在对看来是以拍卖方式作出的售卖中某些行为予以禁止。 来自互联网

14 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

15 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

16 reiterates   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The Chinese government reiterates that the question of Taiwan is China's internal affair. 中国政府重申，台湾问题是中国的内政。 来自汉英非文学 - 汉英文件
• Wang Jianzhou reiterates a fact and a viewpoint in Davos. 王建宙在达沃斯重申一个事实和一个观点。

17 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

18 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

19 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

20 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

21 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。