VOA标准英语2008年-Zoe's Ark Charity Workers Sentenced in Chad to

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
14 January 2008

French charity workers sentenced to eight years of hard labor¹ in Chad, on charges of having tried to kidnap more than 100 African children, are appearing before a French court this morning. From Paris, Lisa Bryant reports the French are expected to serve up to eight years in prison in their home country, instead, without the hard labor.

The six French charity workers are members of the Zoe's Ark charity who were arrested October in Chad for trying to fly 103 African children to France. They were sentenced to eight years of hard labor in Chad. The Chadian court also sentenced the six to fines of more than $1 million, each.

But France struck an agreement with N'Djamena for their return and to have their sentences translated into French terms. France does not hand down sentences of hard labor.

The six have been imprisoned² since their return to France, late last month. Monday, only five appeared before a judge in the Paris suburb, Creteil. One of them, Zoe's Ark head Eric Breteau, has been on a hunger strike and appeared emaciated³.

The six deny they intended to kidnap the children. They initially⁴ claimed the children were Sudanese orphans⁵ from war-torn Darfur and that they hoped to offer them homes in France. But international experts found most children were neither orphans nor Sudanese. The charity workers later claimed they had been duped by local middlemen.

Before their appearance before the Creteil court, Monday, the lawyer for Breteau criticized their sentences in Chad.

Interviewed on France-Info radio, Lawyer Gilbert Collard described Chad as a "totalitarian regime." He says the forced labor sentences handed to the French there did not correspond to French laws or to European conventions.

The case stirred uproar⁶ in Chad, a former French colony. It comes at a sensitive time, because France is expected to head a European Union force to help protect refugees from Darfur, just across Chad's border.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 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。

3 emaciated   

adj.衰弱的，消瘦的

参考例句：

• A long time illness made him sallow and emaciated.长期患病使他面黄肌瘦。
• In the light of a single candle,she can see his emaciated face.借着烛光，她能看到他的被憔悴的面孔。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

6 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。