2007年VOA标准英语-British Court Stops Deportation of Darfuri Asyl

By Tendai Maphosa
London
05 April 2007

Court of Appeal judges in London have ruled in favor of three Darfuri asylum¹ seekers the British government wanted to send back to Sudan.  But as Tendai Maphosa reports from London for VOA, the judgment² may be a temporary reprieve³ for the asylum seekers, as the government intends to petition the House of Lords for permission to appeal the court's decision.

The judges ruled that the three should not be sent back to camps in Khartoum as conditions there were "unduly⁴ harsh."  The three had appealed a ruling by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal that would have sent them back to the Sudanese capital.

The court ruling means that hundreds of Sudanese who fled violence in Darfur can now remain in Britain, at least until the government's petition is heard by the House of Lords.

A statement by the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency expressed disappointment at the decision, saying the court had not found that the non-Arab Darfuris would face mistreatment in Khartoum.

One of the three appellants, Naroudin Mohamed, who says he escaped from Darfur after being tortured, told VOA he has no doubt what would happen to him if he is sent back to Sudan.

"Definitely, if they send you back it means the end of your life - maybe they will kill you.  Thank God they did not send us back," Mohamed said.
 
James Smith, who is with a group called Aegis⁵ Trust, a non-governmental organization that has been acting⁶ on behalf of the Darfuris, said the battle for the them to remain in Britain is far from over.  He said if the government wins its appeal, his organization would present new evidence that proves that Darfuris would be victimized should they be sent back.

"This [is] important, first of all to protect the few hundred that have escaped the atrocities⁷, and they are just a drop in the ocean, compared to the millions who are at risk out there.  Now that they are on the shores of Britain we believe that we have an obligation to protect them," Smith said.
 
Smith added that the actions of the British government are undermining all the tough talk by Prime Minister Tony Blair and other western leaders against the humanitarian⁸ crisis in Darfur.  

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

4 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

5 aegis   

n.盾；保护，庇护

参考例句：

• Medical supplies are flied in under the aegis of the red cross.在红十字会的保护下，正在空运进医药用品。
• The space programme will continue under the aegis of the armed forces.这项太空计划将以武装部队作后盾继续进行。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。