VOA慢速英語:印度女外交官尋求美國取消針對她的刑事指控

印度女外交官尋求美國取消針對她的刑事指控

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

這里是美國之音慢速英語新聞報道。

This week, a lawyer for an Indian diplomat asked a court in the United States to dismiss immigration and employment charges against her. Devyani Khobragade served as Deputy Counsel General at India's consulate in New York City. She is accused of making false statements when she sought permission to bring an Indian national to the US to serve as her housekeeper. She also is charged with paying the woman less than the lowest wage permitted under US law.

本周，一位印度外交官的律師要求美國法院駁回針對她的移民和就業(yè) 控告。德夫亞尼·科布拉加德(Devyani Khobragade)擔任印度駐紐約總領館副總領事。她被控在尋求將一位印度公民帶到美國作為她的管家時做出了虛假陳述。她還被指控付給這位女管家的工 資低于美國法律規(guī)定的最低標準。

The case has angered a lot of people in India and led to anti-American demonstrations. The dispute began when US police arrested Ms. Khobragade last month after she dropped off her daughter at school. Police searched the 39-year-old diplomat for weapons possibly hidden inside her clothing. They forced her to wear handcuffs. Later, she was jailed in a room with drug suspects.

這起案件激怒了很多印度人，并引發(fā)了反美示威游行。爭議始于美國警方上月在科布拉加德送女兒上學時逮捕了她。警方搜查了這位39歲的外交官，以防她衣服內可能藏有武器。他們強迫她戴上了手銬，然后將她和毒犯嫌疑人關在一起。

Devyani Khobragade, who served as India’s deputy consul general in New York, leaves Maharastra state house in New Delhi, India, Jan. 11, 2014.

印度駐紐約副總領事科布拉加德Ms. Khobragade was released after a court appearance.

科布拉加德在出庭后被釋放。

The judge agreed to free the diplomat in exchange for her promise to return for trial and a bail payment of $250,000. Ms. Khobragade told the court she was not guilty of the charges. She is accused of paying the housekeeper less than two dollars an hour and making her work as many as 100 hours a week. In official documents, she promised to pay $4,500 in monthly wages to the housekeeper. Instead, the woman received only $537 a month.

法官在她承諾回來受審并交付25萬美元保證金后同意釋放了這名外交官?？撇祭拥聦Ψㄍケ硎?，對于這些指控她是無罪的。她被 指控付給管家每小時低于兩美元，并讓她每周工作長達100個小時。在官方文件中，她承諾付給管家每月4500美元工資。而實際上這名女管家每月只得到 537美元。

Some Indians have described the diplomat's treatment by police as shameful. Salman Khurshid is India's Foreign Minister.

一些印度人稱這名外交官在警方的遭遇是恥辱的。薩爾曼·卡蘇是印度的外交部長。

"We feel a very extreme level of distress in terms of human element that is involved."

他說，“我們對這起事件涉及到的人為因素感到極度憂慮。”

Another official, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, cancelled his meeting with a five-member US congressional delegation. But the diplomatic dispute did not end there. The Indian government asked the US embassy to withdraw one of its officers. It also removed security barriers from outside the embassy, ordered a suspension of some diplomatic activities, and took back airport passes.

另一位官員，印度內政部長蘇希爾·庫馬爾辛德( Sushil Kumar Shinde)取消了他和美國國會一個五人代表團的會面。但這起外交糾紛并未就此結束。印度政府要求美國大使館撤回一位高級職員，還拆除了(美國駐印度) 使館外的安全路障，下令暫停一些外交活動，并收回(發(fā)放給美國使館人員的)機場通行證。

An American law professor says India's government has overreacted. Thomas McDonnell teaches at Pace University Law School.

美國一位法學教授表示，印度政府已經反應過度。托馬斯·麥克唐納(Thomas McDonnell)在佩斯大學法學院任教。

"The idea of removing the concrete barriers in front of our embassy that protect our ambassador and other officials from a terrorist attack seems extraordinarily out of proportion."

他說，“拆除我們使館前防止大使和其他官員遭受恐怖襲擊的混泥土路障的主意顯得格外離譜。”

US officials say New York police followed standard rules in making the arrest. One question is whether Devyani Khobragade had special rights as a diplomat. But a State Department official said she did not have the top level of diplomatic immunity.

美國官員表示，紐約警方在逮捕時遵照了標準程序。問題在于科布拉加德作為外交人員是否享有特權。但美國國務院一位官員表示，科布拉加德并不享有最高級別的外交豁免權。

American media and other groups have been following the case. Jo Becker works for Human Rights Watch.

美國媒體和其它組織一直在追蹤這起案件。喬·貝克爾(Jo Becker)就職于人權觀察組織。

"The diplomat has been charged with a felony and there has been a big uproar over her treatment. But the controversy had completely overshadowed the exploitation of her employee and similar abuses against millions of domestic workers that happen worldwide every single day".

她說，“這名外交官被控重罪，就她的遭遇一片嘩然。但爭議已經完全蓋過了她對傭人的剝削，已經世界各地每天發(fā)生的針對家傭的類似剝削。”

Ms. Becker noted that Secretary of State John Kerry called a top Indian official to express regret over the incident. Yet US officials say the charges against Ms. Khobragade will not be dropped, and that she would face them if she returns.

貝克爾女士指出，美國國務卿克里給一位印度高級官員打電話就此事件表示了遺憾。然而美國官員表示，針對科布拉加德的指控不會取消，如果她返回美國就會受到指控。