VOA慢速英语2014 国际特赦组织称尼日利亚视频节目侵犯人权

AS IT IS 2014-08-09 Amnesty International: Videos Show Human Rights Abuses in Nigeria 国际特赦组织称尼日利亚视频节目侵犯人权

Amnesty International says the conflict in northern Nigeria continues to worsen.  The rights group says more than 4,000 people have died in the conflict in this year alone.  The group has found videos that it claims provide graphic¹ evidence of multiple war crimes being carried out in Nigeria.

Amnesty International accuses all sides in the conflict of human rights abuses.  It places blame on Boko Haram militants², Nigerian security forces and civilian³ groups allied⁴ with the government.

Amnesty says the videos appear to show soldiers and gunmen cutting the throats of detainees and burying large numbers of bodies together.  Other videos show what appears to be the wreckage⁵ of a village attacked by Boko Haram forces.  One hundred people reportedly were killed in that attack.

Makmid Kamara is Amnesty International’s Nigeria researcher.  He says more protection is needed.

“We are seeing an increasing lack of protection, a failure by the Nigerian government to protect automatically people, especially people in the remote towns and villages in the affected⁶ states.”

Amnesty says Boko Haram supporters took control of the town of Damboa last month.  It says Damboa was the first town to “fall officially” since President Goodluck Jonathan declared emergency rule in three northeastern states last year.  However, Nigerian military officials say none of the country is under Boko Haram’s control.

Military spokesman Chris Olukolade says measures are being taken.

“The Nigerian military will not concede any portion of this country to terrorists or any such group.  We are farming out our deployments in the entire general area.”

Boko Haram says it wants to establish Islamic rule in Nigeria.  But its supporters often attack Muslim clergymen, religious centers and children.  Amnesty International and other rights groups have condemned⁷ Boko Haram.  They also accused Nigerian security forces of carrying out targeted killings⁸ without legal justification⁹.  And they say the security forces have detained suspects for long periods in inhumane conditions and without bringing charges.

In the past, the Nigerian government denied human rights abuses.  The government also accused some critics of harming its campaign against terrorism.  Amnesty International says earlier calls to investigate military abuses have largely been ignored.  The group also says it is concerned that the state of emergency could “give way to a state of lawlessness.”

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 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。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

5 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 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。

8 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

9 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。