VOA标准英语2013--印度领事官员在纽约被捕引争议

 

Arrest of Indian Consular² Official in NY Sparks Dispute 印度领事官员在纽约被捕引争议

NEW YORK — An international controversy³, sparked after the arrest of a senior Indian consular official in New York, is continuing. The Indian official was charged  with paying her domestic employee far less than New York’s legal minimum wage, and with causing her employee to lie on her U.S. State Department visa application.   Indian protesters say her arrest violated her diplomatic immunity⁵.

In India, official and grassroots outrage⁶ continued over the arrest in New York last week of Deputy Consul¹ General Devyani Khobragade by U.S. authorities.

At a news conference Thursday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf tried to de-escalate tensions with India, an important relationship for the U.S.  “This incident is not something that should define that certainly or that should negatively impact that. What we’re focused on is having many conversations at many  levels about moving this relationship forward, about moving past this episode and letting the legal and judicial⁷ process move itself forward," said Harf.

But Dan Arshack, Khobragade’s lawyer, wants the legal and judicial process against his client to halt. He says her arrest and strip search violated the diplomatic  immunity she is guaranteed under international law.   “We hope that we won’t ever have to address the charges in court, because we hope and expect that from a diplomatic level this case will be resolved. But we are  confident that if we do have to address the charges, she will be completetly vindicated," said Arshack.

Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch understands Khobragade’s predicament, but is unmoved.

“The diplomat⁴ has been charged with a felony, and there has been a big uproar⁸ over her treatment - the fact that she was booked, the fact that she was strip searched.  But the controversy has completely overshadowed the exploitation of her employee and similar abuses of domestic workers that happen worldwide every single day," said  Becker.

A balance must be struck between competing views, says Pace University Law Professor Thomas McDonnell.

He believes India's government has overreacted.

“The idea of removing the concrete barriers in front of our embassy that protect our ambassador and other officials in that embassy from a terrorist attack seems  extraordinarily out of proportion. So what they have done in my view is far worse than what we have done," said McDonnell. 

1 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

2 consular   

a.领事的

参考例句：

• He has rounded out twenty years in the consular service. 他在领事馆工作已整整20年了。
• Consular invoices are declarations made at the consulate of the importing country. 领事发票是进口国领事馆签发的一种申报书。

3 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

5 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

6 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

7 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。

8 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。