VOA标准英语2010年-UN Human Rights Chief Denounces Migran

U.N. High Commissioner¹ for Human Rights Navi Pillay says migrants often lose their lives when traveling in over-crowded boats or trying to cross remote borders. But what is happening in Egypt, she says, is different and deplorable.

Her spokesman, Rupert Colville, says the high commissioner knows of no other country where government forces appear to have deliberately² killed so many unarmed migrants and asylum³ seekers.

"It is a deplorable state of affairs, and the sheer number of victims suggests that at least some Egyptian security officials have been operating a shoot-to-kill policy," Colville said. "It is unlikely that so many killings⁵ would occur otherwise. Sixty killings can hardly be an accident." 

Colville says the killing⁴ of migrants began in the summer of 2007 after Egypt and Israel agreed to toughen border controls in the Sinai. He says the great majority of those killed are migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, in particular from Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Nine fatal migrant shootings have been reported the Sinai during the first two months of this year.

Colville says at least 33 people were reported killed in the Sinai between July 2007 and 2008. After a six-month lull⁶, he says the killings began again, with at least 19 more would-be migrants or refugees reportedly shot dead between May and December 2009.

"The victims include several women and at least one child. There are reports of other children being wounded," Colville said. "The fact that these shootings stopped for six months, and then resumed, strongly suggests that the killings follow a pattern that is not random⁷."

Colville says all the killings have taken place on the Egyptian side of the border.

"We have not seen any reports of migrants actually being shot on the Israeli side. So those who crossed are not being shot," Colville added. "And, that I think is particularly unusual at this situation. ... When migrants unfortunately meet a violent death at a border, it is usually incoming. It is usually when they are on the way in somewhere, they are either stepping on mines or there is some incident. It is very rare that they are killed trying to leave somewhere." 

Colville says High Commissioner Pillay has been in contact with Egyptian officials about this issue on several occasions. He says she is calling for the Egyptian government to immediately order its security forces to use firearms only in strict compliance⁸ with international standards.

Pillay is urging Egypt to launch an independent and credible⁹ inquiry¹⁰ into the killings of so many individuals by state security forces during the past two-and-one-half years.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 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。

6 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

7 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

8 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

9 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？

10 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。