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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai (file photo)
One week before an international conference convenes1 in Uganda to reaffirm the mandate2 of the International Criminal Court, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai has called for Kenya's civil society leaders to support the court's investigations4 into crimes against humanity committed in the wake of the disputed 2007 election.
Maathai spoke5 at a news conference organized by the Nobel Women's Initiative in support of the International Criminal Court Review Conference next week in Kampala. The Nobel Laureate praised the work of the Court and its prosecutor6, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, to expose and prosecute7 the architects of ethnic8 violence which rocked Kenya in 2008.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki (L) and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga (R) (file)
After the two main opponents, President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, accused the other of vote-rigging during the December 2007 presidential poll, supporters from both sides clashed in cities and towns throughout the country. The ensuing chaos9 left more than 1,000 people dead.
The International Criminal Court has taken up the cause of justice after witnessing the abortive10 attempts of the government to investigate the violence on its own.
The international investigation3 has broad support among the Kenyan public. Professor Maathai condemned11 the organizers of the violence and warned that lasting12 justice would only come from the vigilance of the Kenyan people.
"We want to say that, at this particular time in the history of mankind, surely there is nothing that should have justified13 leaders advocating for violence so that they could get to power," she said. "Those leaders cannot use the power that they now have to protect themselves from justice. That, I think, is the crux14 of the matter. Because if we allow that to happen, then you and I have no guarantee that it will not happen tomorrow."
Maathai indicated the investigation could reach up into the highest levels of the Kenya government, and urged the public to support the prosecutor's work and keep their leaders accountable.
In Kampala, the international community to review the progress of the International Criminal Court since its inception15 in 2002. The conference, which begins next Monday, will evaluate the Rome Statute16 that governs the court, and how it can fulfill17 its mandate. Key area's to be addressed are complementary and cooperation with national courts and the Statute's impact on peace, justice and the victims of international crimes.
Kenya's actions at the conference will be an indication of its commitment to justice for the victims of the chaos in 2008. Also speaking at the meeting, the executive director of the Africa Center for Open Governance, Gladwell Otieno, said the Review Conference presents an opportunity which cannot be missed by Kenyan leaders.
"The Kenyan government must seize the opportunity at this review conference to advance and not reverse the fight against impunity18 in Kenya and to demonstrate its support and cooperation with the International Criminal Court investigations in Kenya," she said.
The news conference was organized by the Nobel Women's Initiative, an organization founded in 2006 by six female Nobel Prize winners, including Maathai, to promote global peace, justice and equality. Maathai is an environmental and political activist19. In 2004 she became the first African woman and the only Kenyan to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to preserve the Kenyan environment.
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convenes
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召开( convene的第三人称单数 ); 召集; (为正式会议而)聚集; 集合 | |
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mandate
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n.托管地;命令,指示 | |
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investigation
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n.调查,调查研究 | |
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investigations
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(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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spoke
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n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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prosecutor
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n.起诉人;检察官,公诉人 | |
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prosecute
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vt.告发;进行;vi.告发,起诉,作检察官 | |
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ethnic
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adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的 | |
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chaos
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n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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abortive
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adj.不成功的,发育不全的 | |
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condemned
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adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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lasting
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adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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justified
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a.正当的,有理的 | |
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crux
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adj.十字形;难事,关键,最重要点 | |
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inception
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n.开端,开始,取得学位 | |
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statute
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n.成文法,法令,法规;章程,规则,条例 | |
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17
fulfill
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vt.履行,实现,完成;满足,使满意 | |
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impunity
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n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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activist
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n.活动分子,积极分子 | |
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