2006年VOA标准英语-US Officials Decry UN Report on Guantanamo

By Bill Rodgers
Washington, DC
17 February 2006
 
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U.S. officials have dismissed a United Nations human rights report calling on the United States to either bring to trial or release all detainees in its prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  U.S. officials also have deplored¹ acts of Iraqi prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers as shown in a series of newly-released pictures taken more than two years ago at the notorious prison of Abu Ghraib.

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Investigators² for the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva wrote the report, which concludes the United States is violating the rights of detainees imprisoned³ in Guantanamo Bay by not bringing them to trial before an independent tribunal.  The report says the United States should either bring the detainees to trial or free them.

 
Scott McClellan (file photo) 
  
At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan dismissed the report.

"The international committee of the Red Cross has been provided full access to the detainees, the military treats the detainees humanely⁴ as directed by the president of the United States.  The United Nations should be making serious investigations⁵ across the world and there are many instances in which they do when it comes to human rights,” said Mr. McClellan.  “This was not one of them, and I think it is a discredit⁶ to the UN when a team like this goes about rushing to report something when they haven't even looked into the facts."
 

Kofi Annan (file photo)  
  
Nevertheless, at the United Nations, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Thursday the Guantanamo facility should be closed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, newspapers published newly-released pictures of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison more than two years ago.   The reaction in the streets of Baghdad was harsh: "We should pay heed⁷ to such acts and violations⁸ and they should not be ignored.  The violations are endless by U.S. and British troops," said one person.

The latest pictures from Abu Ghraib were taken at the same time as the earlier photos of abuse by U.S. guards several years ago that triggered a worldwide scandal. 

At a U.S. Congressional hearing Thursday, Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur expressed dismay. "I think the United States has lost its moral authority in this so-called war on terrorism across the Islamic and Persian world, and I ask myself every day what we can do to regain⁹ it."
 

Donald Rumsfeld (file photo)   
  
Defense¹⁰ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who was testifying before the Congressional panel, was quick to condemn¹¹ the instances of prisoner abuse.

"The Department of Defense from the beginning of this conflict has a policy that prohibits torture.  It is not permitted; we do not do it today.  The people are trained to avoid it, and there's no question that there was conduct that was improper¹² and people were court-martialed and people have been sent to prison," said the secretary.

Despite these actions, in the Arab world Abu Ghraib prison remains¹³ synonymous with prisoner abuse.

1 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

4 humanely   

adv.仁慈地；人道地；富人情地；慈悲地

参考例句：

• Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何，中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网

5 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

6 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

7 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

8 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。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 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。

11 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

12 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。