经济学人:俄罗斯政治 恐慌与厌恶并存

 　　Russian politics

　　俄罗斯政治

　　Fear and loathing¹

　　恐慌与厌恶同在

　　How the Kremlin is using the law for political ends克里姆林宫如何操纵法律以达政治目的

　　For generations of Russian leaders, the law has been a tool of state power, not a limit on its abuse. In recent months, as Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and his advisers² have navigated³ an unfamiliar⁴ political environment, they too have fallen back on a kind of nominal⁵ legalism, in which the law is less for protecting the citizenry than an instrument of power.

　　对于几代俄罗斯领导人而言，法律已经成为他们攫取国家权力的工具，而不再是限制权力滥用的利器。最近几个月以来，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京及其顾问开创了一种不同的政治局面，从而回归到了一种名义上的守法主义之路上。如此，法律与其说是用来保护民众利益，不如说是一种权力工具。

　　As the Kremlin sees it, compared with uglier measures of neutralising dissent⁶, the law is an “efficient and civilised tool” that allows for a certain “wiliness,” says Mikhail Krasnov of the Higher School of Economics. In practice, that means the law can be deployed⁷ selectively against political opponents, or laws can be drafted to solve immediate⁸ problems.

　　俄罗斯高等经济学院教授米凯尔·克拉斯诺夫称，在克里姆林宫看来，相比其他“更卑劣的‘和谐’手段而言，法律这种“有效而文明的工具”留有一定的“周旋”余地。事实上，这就意味着当局可以选择性地使用法律来打压政敌，或者可以拟定相关法律解决迫在眉睫的问题。

　　On September 14th a majority in the Duma voted to strip Gennady Gudkov of his seat in parliament, after a committee found him in violation⁹ of a law that prevents deputies from profiting from private business while in office. Mr Gudkov, a deputy with the left-leaning Just Russia party, says he was targeted for being the most outspoken¹⁰ member of a small anti-Kremlin group of lawmakers. Moreover, his past as a KGB lieutenant¹¹ colonel made him not just an opponent, but a traitor¹².

　　9月14日，杜马多数票决议剥夺根纳季·古德科夫的议员资格，因为某委员会裁定，古德科夫违反了俄罗斯禁止议员在职期间从私有企业牟利的法律。古德科夫是中左翼的公正俄罗斯党议员。他说，他之所以成为攻击目标，是因为他是一小撮反对俄罗斯当局的立法者中最直言不讳的一员。此外，他曾是克格勃的一位陆军中校，如此一来，他不仅被人视为政敌，还被当做叛徒。

　　The committee’s allegation may indeed be true (though other politicians attract no ire for living strangely well on modest salaries). But Mr Gudkov’s version of events rings true. His troubles began only when he started speaking at anti-Putin rallies and giving impassioned speeches in the Duma against Kremlin-favoured legislation. He says that his expulsion shows that not only “is it possible to distort the law as convenient” but that “it’s possible to go entirely¹³ beyond the law without consequence.”

　　委员会的指控也许的确没错（尽管其他官员薪资不高却过得出奇滋润，而且没有招致不满）但是古德科夫的说法听起来也不无道理。他开始在反普京集会中发言，在议会上慷慨激昂地反对有利于当局的立法时，麻烦就找上门了。古德科夫称，除名一事表明，当局不仅“有可能歪曲法律以图便利”，还“有可能完全凌驾于法律之上而不用承担后果”。

　　The past months have been a busy season for the Russian legal system. In August three women from a punk collective, Pussy¹⁴ Riot, were sentenced to two years each in prison for an anti-Putin stunt¹⁵ in a Moscow cathedral. In June a package of new repressive laws was voted into force by the Duma. It raised fines for unsanctioned demonstrations¹⁶ and required foreign-funded NGOs to register as “foreign agents” (the authorities have just told one of the main sources of such grants,America’s USAID aid agency, to cease operations). Other laws recriminalise libel and create a blacklist of (loosely defined) offensive websites.

　　过去几个月，俄罗斯法律系统忙得不可开交。八月，造反猫咪乐队（一朋克女子乐队）因在莫斯科救世主大教堂进行反普京表演而被判两年有期徒刑。六月，杜马投票通过了一系列新的压制性法律，提高了对未审批游行的罚金，并要求外资非政府组织注册为“外国机构”（当局还刚刚勒令此类资金主要来源之一——美国国际开发署在俄分支机构停止活动）。其他法律还重新将诽谤定为犯罪，并将一些（宽泛定义上的）激进网站列入了黑名单。

　　Taken together, these new laws are not as likely to be consistently enforced as much as they are meant to intimidate¹⁷. Above all, the goal is to put the opposition¹⁸ and its supporters in a state of permanent legal jeopardy¹⁹.

　　总的来说，这些新规更多地是起威慑作用，而不一定会被一直执行下去。其最重要的目的是将反对派及其支持者置于一种持久性的法律困境之中。

　　The Russian legal code is a thicket²⁰ of often contradictory²¹ rules and responsibilities. Ella Paneyakh of the Institution for the Rule of Law at the European University of St Petersburg says that owners of small and medium-sized businesses “cannot even keep track of the law, let alone decide whether to follow it.” That leaves them vulnerable to arbitrary predation by law-enforcement bodies.

　　俄罗斯的法律条文错综复杂，充满了相互矛盾的条文和义务。圣彼得堡欧洲大学法治研究院的Ella Paneyakh称，中小型企业主“甚至无法读懂法律，更不用说决定是否会遵循它了”。这就让他们对执法部门的专制执法没有抵抗力。

　　This sense of opacity²² and impenetrability gives the authorities the upper hand. The overall impression, says Igor Kalyapin of the Committee Against Torture, is that the “law is the property of those of who enforce it, and written exclusively for them.” Mr Kalyapin, who defends victims of police abuse in Chechnya, is now the subject of a criminal probe for releasing information from an ongoing²³ investigation²⁴, a little-used law that even the main police investigator²⁵ in the relevant case says should not apply. Mr Kalyapin attributes his legal troubles to his organisation’s work in documenting abuses in Chechnya.

　　法律的不透明及晦涩使当局占了上风。联合国禁止酷刑委员会主席Igor Kalyapin说，法律给人的整体印象是：“法律是为法律执行者专门撰写的，归他们所有”。Kalyapin为车臣警察滥用职权的受害者辩护，现在却因泄露一项尚在进行的侦查的信息而接受刑事调查。禁止泄露调查信息是一条很少使用的法律，甚至连相关案件中的主要警方调查人员都认为其并不适用。Kalyapin认为，他身陷法律纠纷的原因在于他的组织记录了警察在车臣滥用职权的行径。

　　The danger in using the law to solve short-term political problems, say people inside the Kremlin as well as its critics, is that it risks creating a precedent²⁶. Legal sanctions, even when subjectively²⁷ applied²⁸, can take on a momentum²⁹ of their own. In the Duma, members of United Russia worry that their vote to expel Mr Gudkov might lead to a broader purge³⁰ of Duma representatives who have commercial interests. For that reason, Mr Gudkov would have kept his seat if the vote had been secret, says a United Russia deputy. “There is a lot of fear,” he says. “A lot of people came to the Duma so as to protect their business.”

　　克里姆林宫内部人员及其评论员称，利用法律解决眼前的政治问题存在树先例的风险。法律制裁（一旦开了先例），便有可能一发不可收拾，即便施行者只是主观为之。统一俄罗斯党的杜马议员担心，他们驱逐古德科夫的决议会引发一场更为广泛的清除，导致其他从事商业活动的杜马议员被除名。一位统一俄罗斯党议员称，基于这个原因，如果投票是秘密进行的话，古德科夫还有可能保住自己的位子。“现在人人自危”，他说，“因为许多人进入议会就是为了保护自己的商业利益”。

 

1 loathing   

n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• She looked at her attacker with fear and loathing . 她盯着襲擊她的歹徒，既害怕又憎恨。
• They looked upon the creature with a loathing undisguised. 他们流露出明显的厌恶看那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

3 navigated   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的过去式和过去分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• He navigated the plane through the clouds. 他驾驶飞机穿越云层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ship was navigated by the North Star. 那只船靠北极星来导航。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

5 nominal   

adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的

参考例句：

• The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
• The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。

6 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

10 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

11 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

12 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

13 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

14 pussy   

n.(儿语)小猫，猫咪

参考例句：

• Why can't they leave my pussy alone?为什么他们就不能离我小猫咪远一点？
• The baby was playing with his pussy.孩子正和他的猫嬉戏。

15 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

16 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

17 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

18 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

19 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

20 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

21 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

22 opacity   

n.不透明；难懂

参考例句：

• He insisted that the mineral content of the water determined the opacity.他坚持认为水的清澈程度取决于其中矿物质的含量。
• Opacity of the eye lens can be induced by deficiency of certain vitamins.眼球晶状体的混浊可由缺乏某些维生素造成。

23 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

24 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。

25 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

26 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

27 subjectively   

主观地； 臆

参考例句：

• Subjectively, the demand of interest is the desire of human being. 荀子所说的对利的需要从主观上说就是人的欲望。
• A sound also has an amplitude, a property subjectively heard as loudness. 声音有振幅，振幅的主观感觉是声音的大小。

28 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

29 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

30 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。