2006年VOA标准英语-One of Saddam's Trials Resumes This Week

By Jim Randle
Irbil, Iraq
08 October 2006

Saddam Hussein's stormy trial on genocide charges resumes Monday, more than a week after he and his co-defendants¹ were expelled from the courtroom. A separate case on mass murder charges re-convenes the following week, but an expected verdict has been delayed.

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Saddam Hussein testifies during genocide trial - File Photo 
  
Saddam Hussein's genocide trial was adjourned² last week, after the judge ejected the former Iraqi leader from the courtroom, and his legal defense³ team boycotted⁴ the court session.

It was the third time Saddam had been ordered out of the courtroom in three sessions of the genocide trial, which began in August. In that trial, Saddam and six co-defendants are charged for their alleged⁵ roles in a crackdown against Kurds in northern Iraq in the late 1980s.

Before his expulsion in the last session, Saddam angrily complained about court procedures, what he says is a lack of justice, and disparaged⁶ Kurdish fighters, called Peshmerga.

Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi repeatedly ordered Saddam to sit down, and finally threw him out of the court.

The proceedings⁷ in the Baghdad courtroom have been contentious⁸ since Iraq's government removed the previous chief judge, (Abdullah al-Amiri) for alleged favoritism toward the defendants.

If convicted, Saddam and six former subordinates could hang for their roles in the deaths of an estimated 180-thousand Kurds in 1988, including thousands who perished in poison gas attacks.

Saddam and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, called "Chemical Ali" by Iraqis, face genocide charges. Five others face charges of mass murder and crimes against humanity.

A lawyer who represents many of the victims of the so-called Anfal campaign says it is painful for them to recount those brutal⁹ events.

Attorney Jiyan Azizz Bapier says she sometimes has to fight back tears, as women give evidence of rapes¹⁰ and killings¹¹ in court testimony¹². She calls the events of the Anfal campaign a deep wound felt by Kurds.

She is sure Saddam is guilty and vows¹³ to prove it. She, too, lost family members in the attacks, which destroyed more than 4,000 Kurdish villages.

The director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, Richard Dicker, says, to win this case, prosecutors¹⁵ must prove that the accused attacked the victims because of their ethnicity or religion. "That's hard to prove. To gain a conviction the prosecutor¹⁴ will have to make that case before the judges beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.

Human Rights Watch helped gather evidence against Saddam, and has been monitoring his trials in Baghdad closely.

In the other trial, Saddam faces charges he ordered the murder of 148 Shi'ites in the town of Dujail in 1982, after an apparent assassination¹⁶ attempt against him. That trial is in recess¹⁷ until October 16.

An expected verdict has been delayed, and court officials say judges will be reviewing evidence, and considering whether to recall some witnesses. It is not clear when a verdict might be issued.

Saddam and his co-defendants could face execution in this case, as well, if they are found guilty.

On Thursday, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who serves on Saddam's defense team, warned that a death sentence could fuel violence in Iraq.

1 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

2 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

5 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

6 disparaged   

v.轻视( disparage的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低；批评；非难

参考例句：

• French-Canadian fur trappers and Sioux disparaged such country as "bad lands. " 法语的加拿大毛皮捕兽器和苏人的贬低国家作为“坏土地”。 来自互联网
• She disparaged her student's efforts. 她轻视她的学生做出的努力。 来自互联网

7 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

8 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

9 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

10 rapes   

n.芸苔( rape的名词复数 )；强奸罪；强奸案；肆意损坏v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的第三人称单数 )；强奸

参考例句：

• The man who had committed several rapes was arrested. 那个犯了多起强奸案的男人被抓起来了。 来自辞典例句
• The incidence of reported rapes rose 0.8 percent. 美国联邦调查局还发布了两份特别报告。 来自互联网

11 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

12 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

13 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

14 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

15 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

16 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

17 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。