VOA慢速英语2014 中情局“酷刑”报告牵出美国盟友

 

US Allies Named in CIA 'Torture' Report 中情局“酷刑”报告牵出美国盟友 

The United States increased security at U.S. offices around the world this week after the release of a Senate Intelligence Committee report. The report describes how the Central Intelligence Agency treated terror suspects after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It accuses the agency of misleading Congress and the American people about its methods for gathering¹ information. 

The report tells about the CIA’s use of forceful methods to question at least 119 people. Those individuals were detained between late 2001 and January of 2009.

Critics say the report shows the CIA was torturing terror suspects. The report says the CIA kept some detainees in small places, and forced others to stay awake in a standing² position for long periods. Another interrogation method was waterboarding, which makes the individual feel as if he or she is drowning.

Former President George W. Bush approved the interrogation program after the 2001 attacks on the United States. President Barack Obama banned the techniques when he took office in 2009.

The release of the report has led to widespread calls for legal action against U.S. officials. Laura Pitter is with Human Rights Watch.

“Really the ones to blame in this case are the senior U.S. officials that authorized³ the abuse, knowing that it was illegal. They're the ones at the top that need to be held accountable for these crimes.” 

The report says several U.S. allies provided assistance to the Central Intelligence Agency. This week, Poland’s former president admitted for the first time that he approved a CIA base on Polish territory. But Alexander Kwasniewski also said he did not know that torture was taking place.

He said, “The Americans turned to the Polish side to request a quiet place where it could conduct operations to effectively obtain information from persons willing to cooperate with the U.S. side. We agreed to this.”

Four years ago, a parliamentary investigation⁴ in Lithuania found that the CIA operated a base near the capital, Vilnius. That investigation may now be reopened.

Britain has also been linked to the CIA program. Prime Minister David Cameron spoke⁵ about the issue this week. He said that an investigation has been opened.

“So I'm confident this issue has been dealt with from the British perspective, and I think I can reassure⁶ the public about that. But overall, we should be clear torture is wrong.” 

Many terror suspects were taken to the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay. Among them was British citizen Moazzam Begg, who was released after three years. He said on Wednesday that the recent executions of Westerners by Islamic State militants⁷ can be linked to the CIA’s actions.

“ISIS was born in the dungeons⁸ of Abu Ghraib. It was born in the dungeons of the Iraqi prisons that were under U.S. occupation, and that’s where this hatred⁹ and animosity has festered.” 

There are fears that the terror threat to the United States and its allies will intensify¹⁰. Jihadist groups have reportedly used social media to call for a reaction to the report.

Charles E. Allen is a former assistant director of the intelligence agency. He said the threat had increased.

“Yes, it will threaten Americans. Our people need to be protected, their identities need to be protected, and I’d hate to see any blood come from this. But I fear there will be an attack.” 

Security has been strengthened at U.S. embassies to guard against possible attack.

Words in This Story

security - n. freedom from danger or harm; protection; measures necessary to protect a person or place

intelligence - n. the ability to think or learn; information gathered by spying

terror - adj. causing great or extreme fear

torture - v. to cause severe pain; n. the act of causing severe pain in order to harm, to punish or to get information from

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 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。

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 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 dungeons   

n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The captured rebels were consigned to the dungeons. 抓到的叛乱分子被送进了地牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He saw a boy in fetters in the dungeons. 他在地牢里看见一个戴着脚镣的男孩。 来自辞典例句

9 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

10 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。