VOA标准英语2008年-Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Released From

A former prime minister of Bangladesh, jailed for more than a year on corruption¹ charges, is free. Khaleda Zia was released from custody² in Dhaka, late Thursday morning. From our South Asia Bureau, VOA Correspondent Steve Herman explains that Khaleda's release brings the country a step closer to holding planned elections intended to restore democratic governance to Bangladesh.
　
Former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia waves at her husband's graveside after release from detention³ in Dhaka, 11 Sep 2008

After more than a year in prison, Begum Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, has been freed.

She joins another former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, the rival matriarch of the other major political party, on the outside. Hasina - also facing criminal charges - was paroled three months ago, for medical reasons.

The release of both women is expected to ease the way for Bangladesh, run by an army-supported interim⁴ government, to hold a national election in mid-December.

One of Khaleda's lawyers, Mahbub Uddin Khokon, tells VOA News that officials have appealed the court order granting the former prime minister bail⁵, but he does not expect the authorities to prevail.

"Two appeals were filed by the anti-corruption commission and two appeals were filed by the government," he said. "If this order of bail would be repealed⁶, then it would be unprecedented⁷."

On Tuesday, the Bangladesh high court ordered Khaleda released for three months.

The emergency government, installed last January, had hoped to permanently⁸ sweep the two former prime ministers - known as "The Battling Begums" - from the political scene. They were among 170 politicians detained as part of a wide-ranging anti-graft drive intended to end endemic political corruption.

Barrister Khokon says, as far as he knows, Khaleda made no deal with officials for her release and that she intends to resume political activity.

"Definitely she will stay in Bangladesh," he said. "And, she's hopeful to contest in the election."

Khaleda heads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. She was thrust into the political arena⁹ following the 1981 assassination¹⁰ of her husband, who was president of the country.

Her primary rival, Awami League leader Hasina, also rose to power as the result of family tragedy. As the eldest¹¹ child of Bangladesh's founding president, she took the helm of the party after her father - and most of the family - were killed during a 1975 coup¹².

Releasing the two former prime ministers was seen as the only credible¹³ way to ensure the participation¹⁴ of the biggest parties in elections the emergency government has pledged to hold by the year's end to return Bangladesh to democracy.

 

1 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。

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

6 repealed   

撤销，废除( repeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Labour Party repealed the Act. 工党废除了那项法令。
• The legislature repealed the unpopular Rent Act. 立法机关废除了不得人心的租借法案。

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

9 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

10 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

11 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

12 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

13 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

14 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。