2006年VOA标准英语-Ghana Distributes Reparations for Rights Abuse

By Efam Dovi
Accra
18 October 2006

In Ghana, President John Kufuor's government is paying reparation to about 2,000 Ghanaians who suffered human rights abuses under former governments. The West African nation, now perceived as a leading democracy in Africa, has had turbulent political periods spanning five military regimes since independence from Britain in 1957.

Payments to individuals began Monday and ranged from about $217 to $3,300, depending on the extent of abuse or violation¹.

The $1.5 million in payments were recommended by the nine-member National Reconciliation² Commission (NRC), which was formed five years ago to address human rights violations³ committed under various governments since Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957.

The commission collected more than 4,000 statements from victims and witnesses. They held more than 2,000 public hearings, recording⁴ stories of executions, disappearances⁵, torture, arbitrary imprisonment⁶, and confiscation⁷ of property.

 
Richard Effah
Richard Effah is one of the victims. In 1979, during the first of two military coups⁸ by former president Jerry John Rawlings, he was beaten up by a group of armed soldiers. He still has scars from the beating on his ribs⁹ and arms, but he says telling his story to the commission has helped heal his psychological wounds.

"As I went to the commission and talk my problem, all that have happened to me, now I am feeling better because, formally we went to the police station, we did not get anything, the time the case happened," he said. "We drive, go up and down we could not see anything, until this government came in and said we should come and confess. Now I'm okay, I do not want to continue with the pain again because the government has come in to intervene to settle the case."

Ghana's Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Joe Ghartey, says the process of healing is important.

 
Joe Ghartey
"The fundamental principle is that you can never pay somebody enough for human rights abuse, you can never do that, and so it is reparation, it is some form of a token payment, a token payment from the people of Ghana, to the people who suffered abuse, so it is not a lot of money," he said.

Ghartey said, by choosing the path of reconciliation over revenge, Ghana is purging¹⁰ itself of the evils of the past.

"I think we have come out of this as a much stronger country," he said. "What you do with your history is important. Your history can divide you and keep you at each other's throats for the rest of your life or your history can unite you. I think what this has done is that we are all united now and we do not want it to happen again."

Besides monetary¹¹ compensation, assets unlawfully confiscated¹² to the state are being returned to their owners, and the president is expected to offer a formal apology on behalf of the people and government of Ghana.

The commission's work covered the period between independence in 1957 and January 1993, when democratic rule was restored in Ghana.

1 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。

2 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

3 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

6 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

7 confiscation   

n. 没收, 充公, 征收

参考例句：

• Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 没收一切流亡分子和叛乱分子的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Confiscation of smuggled property is part of the penalty for certain offences. 没收走私财产是对某些犯罪予以惩罚的一部分。

8 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

9 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

10 purging   

清洗； 清除； 净化； 洗炉

参考例句：

• You learned the dry-mouthed, fear-purged, purging ecstasy of battle. 你体会到战斗中那种使人嘴巴发干的，战胜了恐惧并排除其他杂念的狂喜。
• Purging databases, configuring, and making other exceptional requests might fall into this category. 比如清空数据库、配置，以及其他特别的请求等都属于这个类别。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

11 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

12 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。