VOA常速英语2007-Coalition Urges UN to Call For Moratorium on Exe

By Victoria Cavaliere
New York
11 October 2007

A coalition¹ of 60 non-governmental organizations is urging the United Nations to adopt a resolution that calls for a global moratorium² on the death penalty. Victoria Cavaliere reports from VOA's New York Bureau that supporters believe such a resolution has enough support to pass.

In 2003, The World Coalition Against The Death Penalty designated October 10 as the "World Day Against the Death Penalty.

At a news conference in New York Wednesday, the group said more than 90 countries nations have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 131 have done so in practice and 66 retain it.

The U.N. General Assembly is considering a resolution that will ask countries to impose a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards abolishing it worldwide.

The resolution is co-sponsored by countries including Brazil, East Timor, Gabon, Mexico, the Philippines and Portugal. The spokesman for the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Michel Taube, says he is hopeful the initiative will be adopted.

"I think there is quite a lot of support at the moment. But let's let the diplomacy³ and the organizations continue it's work and I'm sure the number of sponsors will continue to grow, grow, grow," he said.

The coalition, which includes groups like Amnesty International and the International Federation⁴ of Human Rights League, says the use of the death penalty is declining overall.

But, it says in some countries, including Iran, more people are being put to death.

In Afghanistan Monday, 15 prisoners were executed by gunfire, ending a three-year moratorium on the death penalty in that country.

Taube said he thinks recent images, including those of Saddam Hussein's hanging last December, have bolstered⁵ international opposition⁶ to the death penalty. "In all the world today there are initiatives, on five continents, in many countries, to ask for the abolition⁷ of the death penalty. We think the moment has come."

Amnesty International says six countries were responsible for 91 percent of all known executions worldwide last year: China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the United States.

The death penalty is a controversial issue in the United States. The U.S. Supreme⁸ Court ruled in 1976 that the death penalty is not unconstitutional. Currently, 38 of the 50 states allow the death penalty, as does the federal government.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 bolstered   

v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。