VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - Jury Decision Renews Deb

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
On Wednesday, a jury in federal court in New York City announced its decision in the case of Ahmed Ghailani. The Tanzanian was the first terrorism suspect held at Guantanamo ever to face trial in a civilian¹ court instead of a military court.
He was charged in the al-Qaida bombings of the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya on August seventh, nineteen ninety-eight. The attacks killed two hundred twenty-four people, including twelve Americans.
Government lawyers said Mr. Ghailani bought the truck and tanks of gas used in the bombing in Tanzania. The government brought two hundred eighty-five charges against him, mostly for murder.
But the twelve-member jury found him guilty of just one charge: conspiracy² to destroy United States property with an explosive device. The crime carries a sentence of at least twenty years in prison and a possible life sentence.
Mr. Ghailani is thirty-six. He faces sentencing in January.
He was the fifth person found guilty in the embassy bombings. The other four were also tried in civilian court in New York and received life sentences in two thousand one. But they had never been held at the American military detention³ center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Ahmed Ghailani faces sentencing in January Senator Joe Lieberman says the jury's decision makes it highly unlikely there will be many more civilian trials of Guantanamo detainees. Senator Lieberman, an Independent, heads the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
JOE LIEBERMAN: "To me, we are in a war. And people you capture in a war should be held in a military setting."But Tom Malinowski of the group Human Rights Watch defended the jury's verdict, after a trial in a city that was also attacked by al-Qaida.
TOM MALINOWSKI: "It shows that American courts and American juries are independent and thoughtful and take their responsibilities very, very seriously."Republican Representative John Boehner -- soon to become the speaker of the House -- urged President Obama to try future suspects in military courts. The president wants to close Guantanamo, but the Ghailani verdict could make it even harder for him to get Congress to agree.
Defense⁴ lawyer Peter Quijano told the court that al-Qaida members tricked Mr. Ghailani into unknowingly helping⁵ them. He says the defense team will appeal the conviction on the single charge.
Mr. Ghailani was captured six years ago in Pakistan. The Central Intelligence Agency held him there for two years before he arrived at Guantanamo.
The government's case suffered a setback⁶ before the trial began. Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected evidence from a government witness. Hussein Abebe was expected to tell the court that he had sold explosives to Mr. Ghailani.
But Judge Kaplan said the government violated Mr. Ghailani's constitutional rights. The judge said Mr. Abebe was identified as a direct result of statements made by Mr. Ghailani under duress⁷ while held by the CIA. Mr. Ghailani's lawyers say he was tortured. The government would not discuss details of his treatment.
Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch thinks a military court would have reached the same decision as the civilian jury.
TOM MALINOWSKI: "The military commissions have been reformed by the Congress and the Obama administration in a way that prohibits absolutely the use of any evidence obtained through torture or cruelty."And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

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 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

3 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

4 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。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

7 duress   

n.胁迫

参考例句：

• He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.他说他是被迫在认罪书上签字的。
• These unequal treaties were made under duress.这些不平等条约是在强迫下签订的。