美国国家公共电台 NPR Amnesty International Identifies Assad's 'Policy Of Extermination'

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Amnesty International released a report this week that may make you wonder how much of what we conscientiously¹ report as important news truly is by comparison. The human rights group, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977, says as many as 13,000 opponents of Bashar al-Assad have been hanged in the Saydnaya prison on the outskirts² of Damascus. It is worth repeating that number - as many as 13,000 people hanged to death.

The researchers interviewed 84 people, including former guards, a military judge and 31 people who were held in two buildings at the prison. The witnesses say once or twice a week, 20 to 50 prisoners were taken from their cells and told they will be transferred elsewhere. Instead, they were taken to a basement to appear before a military judge for two or three minutes, just enough time to be condemned³ to death. The death sentence was signed by the minister of defense⁴, who was deputized to sign by President Assad, says the report. The men and women were hanged in the middle of the night. Their bodies were reportedly taken to a military hospital where officials registered their deaths as a heart failure or respiratory disorder⁵. It is inconceivable that all of the top officials did not know about it, says Nicolette Waldman of Amnesty. This was a policy of extermination⁶. There is no reason at all to expect that the hangings have stopped, she added.

Amnesty International says it has tried to get a response from Syrian officials but received none. Aerial images of the prison published this week seem to show the mass graves reported by witnesses. To be sure, the report also says some rebel groups have committed human rights abuses, but not nearly on the same scale as the Assad regime. What we have uncovered is beyond anything else we have seen, says Nicolette Waldman.

At least 4.8 million Syrians have already fled their country in fear for their lives and are scattered⁷ around the world. More than 400,000 civilians⁸ have already died in the war. The United Nations and the United States have often condemned the Syrian regime for committing war crimes against civilians, including using chemical weapons, sexual violence and starvation. But they have also urged rebels and the Assad regime to negotiate to end the civil war, a war in which the regime, with Russian support, seems to have the upper hand. If those who oppose the regime have been hanged as a matter of routine, why would any Syrian come back home?

1 conscientiously   

adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实

参考例句：

• He kept silent,eating just as conscientiously but as though everything tasted alike. 他一声不吭，闷头吃着，仿佛桌上的饭菜都一个味儿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She discharged all the responsibilities of a minister conscientiously. 她自觉地履行部长的一切职责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 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。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

6 extermination   

n.消灭，根绝

参考例句：

• All door and window is sealed for the extermination of mosquito. 为了消灭蚊子，所有的门窗都被封闭起来了。 来自辞典例句
• In doing so they were saved from extermination. 这样一来却使它们免于绝灭。 来自辞典例句

7 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。