VOA标准英语2010年-Kenyan Nobel Laureate Urges Support fo

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.
 

1 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

2 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 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。

4 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。

5 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

8 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。

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 abortive   

adj.不成功的，发育不全的

参考例句：

• We had to abandon our abortive attempts.我们的尝试没有成功，不得不放弃。
• Somehow the whole abortive affair got into the FBI files.这件早已夭折的案子不知怎么就进了联邦调查局的档案。

11 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

12 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

13 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

14 crux   

adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点

参考例句：

• The crux of the matter is how to comprehensively treat this trend.问题的关键是如何全面地看待这种趋势。
• The crux of the matter is that attitudes have changed.问题的要害是人们的态度转变了。

15 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

16 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

17 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

18 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

19 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。