Rights Group Challenges US Security Policy on Airline Passen

Rights Group Challenges US Security Policy on Airline Passenger Lists

 

Jim Malone

 

A leading U.S. civil liberties group has filed a legal challenge to a program that seeks to bar people with suspected links to terrorists from traveling on commercial airliners¹.

 

At issue is what is called the government's "no-fly" list, a list of names compiled by the Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for protecting airline travel. The list contains names of people who are barred from flying because they are considered a threat or have links with suspected terrorists.

 

But now a group of people who say they have been wrongly put on the list are challenging the no-fly list in federal court.

 

The suit is being filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of seven people who say they are innocent of any links to terrorists and pose no risk to fellow travelers. Among those filing suit are a retired² minister, a college student, a member of the U.S. military and a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, David Fathi.

 

Mr. Fathi told a Washington news conference that he has been stopped, interrogated⁴ and in some cases briefly⁵ detained because security officials at airports have told him his name appears on the government's no-fly list.

 

"I have been led away by armed police. I have been threatened with indefinite detention⁶ and I have had one officer tell another to put me in handcuffs and take me away. Now I have a pretty thick skin. But when these things happen not just once, but over and over again, it is humiliating and it is frightening. I am not a terrorist and the government has no reason to put my name on a list of suspected terrorists."

 

The seven travelers filing suit are represented by ACLU lawyer Reginald Shuford. He says several were stopped at airports even though they had a letter from the Transportation Security Administration acknowledging that they do not pose a security threat.

 

"They are questioned about everything from who they are, their national backgrounds, where they are going, whether or not they have any affiliation⁷ with certain 'terroristic activity.' And the worst part of all, beyond the stigma⁸, is that there is no way at all to clear one's name from the no-fly list once you are placed on it."

 

There was no immediate⁹ response to the lawsuit¹⁰ from the government. But in the past, Transportation Security Administration officials have said the no-fly list is an essential tool in the war on terrorism. TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield told the Associated Press that the agency is aware that problems exist with the no-fly list, but said government officials have worked with those wrongly placed on the list to clear their names.

 

The ACLU lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Seattle, Washington. The suit calls for the government to maintain the no-fly list in a way that does not stigmatize¹¹ or inconvenience innocent travelers.

 

file [fail] vt. 提出（申请等）

bar [bB:(r)] vt. 禁止

"no-fly" list  禁飞名单

Transportation Security Administration  联邦运输安全局

American Civil Liberties Union  美国公民自由协会（ACLU）

interrogate³ [in5terE^eit] vt. 审问，询问

detain [di5tein] v. 拘留

handcuff [5hAndkQf] n. 手拷

humiliating [hjU:`mIlIeItIN] adj. 羞辱性的

ACLU  abbr.（American Civil Liberties Union）美国公民自由协会

pose [pEuz] v. 形成，引起

affiliation [E7fili5eiFEn] n. 联系

stigma [5sti^mE] n. 污名，耻辱

Associated Press  联社

Seattle [si5Atl] n. 西雅图，位于华盛顿州普捷湾

inconvenience [7inkEn5vi:njEns] vt. 麻烦，使感不便

innocent [5inEsnt] adj. 清白的，无罪的

1 airliners   

n.客机，班机( airliner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fog grounded the airliners. 大雾迫使班机停飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They placed very stable and accurate atomic clocks on regularly scheduled jet airliners. 他们将非常稳定、准确的原子钟装在定期飞行的喷气式班机上。 来自辞典例句

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 interrogate   

vt.讯问，审问，盘问

参考例句：

• The lawyer took a long time to interrogate the witness fully.律师花了很长时间仔细询问目击者。
• We will interrogate the two suspects separately.我们要对这两个嫌疑人单独进行审讯。

4 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

8 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

9 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。

10 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

11 stigmatize   

v.污蔑，玷污

参考例句：

• Children in single-parent families must not be stigmatized.单亲家庭的孩子们不应该受到歧视。
• They are often stigmatized by the rest of society as lazy and dirty.他们经常被社会中的其他人污蔑为懒惰、肮脏。