VOA常速英语2017--阿萨德政权对平民使用化学武器

The United Nations reports that despite reduced violence in some areas of Syria, unspeakable crimes against civilians² have continued, including the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people by the Assad regime.

据联合国报道，虽然叙利亚的一些地区暴力形势有所缓解，但平民依然在遭受着犯罪行为，苦不堪言。犯罪行为包括阿萨德政权对叙利亚人民使用了化学武器。

The UN's International Commission of Inquiry³ for Syria, led by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, confirmed that Syrian government forces used chemical weapons more than two dozen times since the conflict began, including in the deadly sarin gas attack in April, 2017 on the town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed at least 83 people.

联合国的叙利亚国际调查委员会由保罗(Paulo Sergio Pinheiro)领导。经该委员会确认，叙利亚政府军自冲突开始以来，已使用了20多次化学武器，其中包括2017年4月对汗舍孔镇(Khan Sheikhoun)发动的致命沙林气体攻击。这次攻击导致至少83人死亡。

Government forces continued the pattern of using chemical weapons against civilians in opposition-held areas, the report by the Commission stated. In the gravest incident, the Syrian air force used sarin in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, killing⁴ dozens, the majority of whom were women and children.

根据叙利亚国际调查委员会的报告，政府军依然在叛军控制的地带对平民使用化学武器。更有甚者，叙利亚空军在伊德利卜(Idlib)的汗舍孔镇使用了沙林毒气，致数十人死亡，其中大部分是妇女儿童。

The report notes that Assad's aerial campaign also targeted medical facilities throughout the area, resulting in a severe weakening of their ability to provide assistance to victims of the sarin attack and a consequent increase in the number of civilian¹ casualties.

这份报告指出，阿萨德空袭的目标还有该地带的医疗设施，严重降低他们向沙林毒气攻击受害者提供援助的能力，同时增加平民的伤亡数量。

In addition, the Commission reported that at in least three places -- Idlib, Hamah, and eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus -- Syrian forces used weaponized chlorine. These attacks constitute clear violations⁵ of international humanitarian⁶ law and the Convention on Chemical Weapons, the report noted⁷, which the Syrian Arab Republic ratified⁸ in 2013 following a previous sarin attack.

此外，该委员会的报告还指出，至少在这3个地方——伊德利卜、哈马以及大马士革东部的古塔郊区——叙军都使用了氯化武器。该报告指出，这些攻击公然违反了国际人道主义法以及《化学武器公约》。后者是2013年发生过沙林毒气攻击事件后，阿拉伯叙利亚共和国批准通过的公约。

After the report was released, the U.S. mission to the United Nations called for full accountability for chemical weapons use in Syria.

这份报告发布后，美国驻联合国使团呼吁叙利亚对使用化学武器的行为负全责。

The United States has long urged the international community to act to enforce UN Security Council resolutions against the use of chemical weapons, and to hold perpetrators like Bashar al Assad responsible for his crimes. In April after the attack on Khan Sheikhoun, the United States destroyed the airfield⁹ in Syria from which the Syrian government's chemical strike was launched. The same month, the U.S. Treasury¹⁰ Department imposed sanctions against 271 employees of the Syrian government agency responsible for developing such weapons and the means to deliver them.

长期以来，美国一直敦促国际社会行动起来，执行联合国决议，不使用化学武器，同时让包括阿萨德在内的始作俑者为自己犯下的罪行负责。4月，在汗舍孔镇遭受袭击后，美国摧毁了叙利亚的一个飞机场，该飞机场是叙利亚政府发动化学武器攻击的始发地。同月，美国财政部对叙利亚政府的271名员工进行了制裁，这些员工都助力了化学武器的研发和使用。

As the evidence continues to mount of Assad's culpability¹¹, it is past time for the international community to ensure that such blatant¹² disregard of international law and human decency¹³ stop and that the perpetrators be held to account.

阿萨德政权的罪孽愈发深重，急需确保这种公然无视国际法和人类尊严的行为即刻停止，确保将始作俑者绳之以法。

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 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。

6 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。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

9 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。

10 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

11 culpability   

n.苛责，有罪

参考例句：

• As if the estrangement between them had come of any culpability of hers. 姐弟俩疏远的责任竟仿佛落到了她的身上！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• The offence, as now defined in English law, covers a wide spectrum of culpability. 英国法律规定，违法包括很多种过失行为。 来自互联网

12 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

13 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。