President Lukashenka’s Regime in Belarus卢卡申科总统政权下的白俄罗斯

被美国政府称为欧洲最后一个专政独裁的边区村落，白俄罗斯，十年来一直在亚历山大·卢卡申科总统的专政统治之下。亚历山大·卢卡申科一直为公众批判所不满。在去年的总统选举之前，十几名反对者被关进了监狱。此消息一直被紧紧的封锁着，乔纳森·福瑞尔一直在调查，据说，“知识就是力量”这句谚语已经深深的烙在了白俄罗斯人的头脑中。

单词注释：
Regime n. 政权，政体
Outpost n. 边区村落
Dictatorship n. 专政
Circumscribe v. 限制
Kiosk n. 亭子
Sanction n. 制裁
Democracy n. 民主政治，民主主义
Samizdat n. 地下出版物
Wangle v. 骗取

ANNOUNCER: Called an outpost of tyranny on Europe’s last dictatorship by the US Government, Belarus has for more than a decade, been under the rule of President Alexander Lukashenka. He is been intolerant of criticism and public displays of dissent. In the run up to Presidential Elections last year, more than a dozen opposition figures were imprisoned. Information is tightly controlled and as Jonathan Freyer has been finding out, the saying “knowledge is power” could have been coined with Belarus in mind.

播音员：被美国政府称为欧洲最后一个专政独裁的边区村落，白俄罗斯，十年来一直在亚历山大•卢卡申科总统的专政统治之下。亚历山大•卢卡申科一直为公众批判所不满。在去年的总统选举之前，十几名反对者被关进了监狱。此消息一直被紧紧的封锁着，乔纳森•福瑞尔一直在调查，据说，“知识就是力量”这句谚语已经深深的烙在了白俄罗斯人的头脑中。

JONATHAN FREYER: The weatherman on CNN had a glint in his eye as the clouds walls swirled the computer graphic behind him and he declared “well it looks as summer had ended in Northern Europe.” I could tell him that just by looking out from my window in Minsk. On a few days previously, the temperature had been 35 degrees Celsius but now it has tumbled to mid teens and rain was lashing the streets below. Undeterred my friend Sargay, (not his real name) turned up in his small shiny suit, bearing a beautifully wrapped books and flowers, nodded to me and hasten to add. But for the teacher of the primary school where his little boy was going to have his first day. “It is knowledge day” Sargay explains. This is what we do at this time of the year and everyone is very happy. Knowledge is something Belarusian’s treasure. They are highly educated people and average readers but their access to information is circumscribed. TV and radio are both totally controlled by the government of Alexander Lukashenka. Most newspapers also tow the line. The few independent ones constantly at risk of being shutdown have timely circulations, not usually available at news kiosks. Nor are foreign newspapers with the few Russian exceptions such as Extensia. Foreign journalists often denied visas to enter Belarus. Tellingly, it is the only European State that isn’t a member of the Council of Europe which monitors human rights among other things. Belarus is also under sanctions from the EU and some other Western countries. This is because the elections last year which prolonged President Lukashenka’s rule were declared to be rigged. Another friend of mine, Yore Kashkaske made a remarkable film called “the square” about the election period. It focused on the camp of pro democracy campaigners who sent up tents in freezing conditions in Minsk’s October Square. Until they were evicted by the security forces and many were taken off to prison. The film was never shown in cinemas in Belarus of course, but 100 thousand copies circulated in the form of underground samizdat CDs. News also travels by word of mouth or through mobile phones. The internet, though expensive, is very popular. So, both sides in the Government opposition divide use technology to their advantage. I have been warned that my hotel was bugged and advised to avoid using landline phones. Meetings with opposition activists and independence journalists were carried out in noisy cafes or restaurants or in one case, in the park. Belarus is very reminiscent to their old Soviet Union in that way but today, even the Communist Party faces harassment. Minsk is where what became the Soviet Communist Party held its first convention. There is Lenin’s Square in the Carl Marx avenue and box of the founder of the Soviet Intelligent Service, Philips Kaczynski is still located opposite the huge KGB building. The security services are constantly monitoring the population. In advanced of planned demonstrations, known activists are often rounded up and sent to prison for few days on trump up charges of swearing in public or urinating in the street. My friend Sargay at the young age of 27, had already been in jail four times. The other day, he took me to see the regimes pride and joy, the National Library. It is the tallest building in Belarus on the road out to the International Airport. It is certainly a remarkable structure distinctly resembling a spaceship that has landed in a middle of a barren plain. At night the edifice is light up with dancing hallowed lights and local drunks sit on benches nearby to enjoy the display. Although I was meant to give the authorities one month notice before going on a tour of the library, Saggy managed to wangle me in. On each floor, there are wide circular corridors lined with contemporarily Belarus art. A lady guide walked backward with gymnastic dexterity, pointing everything out. As she explained, “That’s the reading room for people with secondary school certificates”; “And that’s the room for people with university education”; “And that’s the room for university professors”. A girl whom Sargay had brought along pointed to a big wooden door, and whispered, “And that’s the president’s private suite, where he could read anything he wants in comfort.” she knew this despite the fact but she was the first time in the building. like many Belarusans, she is away that the library is constructed on marshy land and she fears that one day, it will simply sink into the ground. “Like Lukashenka’s regime!” Sargay added with glee.
乔纳森•福瑞尔：CNN的气象员闪着他的眼睛，盯着他身后电脑上旋转的云图，说：“看样子，北欧的夏季已经结束了。”从我明斯克房子的窗户向外望去，我就可以这样的告诉他。在先前的一些日子里，这里的温度始终在35度左右，而现在，大风能把5、6岁的孩子吹倒，街道也被急雨鞭笞着。我的朋友萨给（不是他的真名）并未吓住，换上他小小的、闪亮的西服，抱着包裹漂亮的书和鲜花，他朝我点点头，催促我赶快走。但是对于这位小学老师来说，他今天要给那里的小男孩们上第一堂课。“今天是知识日”萨给解释说。这就是我们今年的这个时期所做的，每个人都很开心。知识是白俄罗斯的财富。他们都是受过高教育的人和普通的读者，但是他们所了解的信息是受限制的。电视和电台都被亚历山大•卢卡申科完全控制，大多数的报纸也如此。仅有的几家独立的报纸也常常有关门的危险，不仅发行不及时，而且报刊亭上也常常不能买到。外国报纸也有同样的遭遇，只有几个俄国报纸例外，如Extensia。外国记者经常被拒签进入白俄罗斯。据说，它是欧洲唯一一个不是欧洲委员会的国家，因为欧洲委员会是权衡人类权利的机构。白俄罗斯也处于欧盟和一些其他西方国家的制裁之下。这是因为去年延长卢卡申科总统统治期的选举被宣布为非法操作。我的另一个朋友，姚尔•卡什卡斯基制作了一部著名的电影——《广场》。这部电影记录的是选举期间的事情，关注的是赞成民主的竞选者，他们在明斯克的10月广场支起了帐篷，在冰冻的季节，露宿在外。直到他们被安全武装驱赶才离开，很多人被送进了监狱。当然这部电影从没有在白俄罗斯的电影院播出过，但是已经有100000份，以地下秘密出版物的形式流通。消息也通过口耳或手机信息的方式传播。电脑虽然很贵，但很流行。我在酒店就受到这样的警告，说我的酒店被安装了窃听器，建议我不要使用有线电话。会见反对派的积极分子和独立播报的记者都要在吵闹的咖啡馆或是餐馆里，或是在公园里。白俄罗斯非常怀念旧时的苏联，而今甚至共产党也面临着窘境。明斯克是苏联共产党举行第一次大会的地方。在卡尔•马克思大街，有着列宁广场和苏联情报局创立的地方，非力普•开克兹恩斯基就位于巨大的苏联国家安全委员会大厦的对面。安全武装不断地巡视着四周的人们。在经事先策划的抗议中，其中的激进分子经常被围捕并送往监狱待上几天，并为他们捏造当众咒骂或在街上任意小便的罪名。我的朋友萨给才27岁，已经进了四次监狱。前几天他带我去看了全国图书馆，这个象征自豪、愉悦政权的建筑物。它是白俄罗斯最高的建筑物，比国际机场还要突出。它当然有着非凡的设计结构，就像一艘太空船降落于贫瘠平原的中部。到了晚上，大厦的灯亮了，而其中心的灯光舞动着，当地的醉汉们坐在路边的长凳上，欣赏着这美丽的夜色。虽然去图书馆参观之前，我很想专注当地政局，了解一个月的时间，萨给却把我成功的骗到了这里来。里面的每一层都是宽宽的环型走廊，四周悬挂着白俄罗斯近期的美术作品。一位女导游倒着走，像体操运动员一样灵活，为我们一一指引。她说：“那个阅览室是为高中毕业的人准备的”；“那个阅览室是为受过大学教育的人准备的”；“还有那间是为大学教授准备的”。萨给带来的小女孩指着一扇宽大的木门悄声地说：“那是总统的私人的书房，总统可以在里面舒服地看他想看的书。” 她早就知道这件事，但却是第一次来到这里。像许多白俄罗斯人一样，她要远离这座建立在沼泽地上的图书馆，因为她害怕有一天，它会陷到地下。“就像卢卡申科的政权一样！”萨给笑着补充道。

ANNOUNCER: Jonathan Freyer.
播音员：以上是乔纳森•福瑞尔带来的报道。