2006年VOA标准英语-Saddam Hussein Genocide Trial Resumes

By Benjamin Sand
Irbil, Iraq
17 October 2006

testimony1 during his trial in Baghdad's heavily fortified2 Green Zone, October 17, 2006 " src="/upimg/allimg/070504/1342250.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> Saddam Hussein adjusts his headphones as he listens to witness testimony during his trial in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, October 17, 2006

The genocide trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has resumed Tuesday after a five-day break. Witnesses testified about atrocities³ committed during Saddam's brutal⁴ suppression of Iraqi Kurds in 1988.

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Prosecutors⁵ say more than 180,000 people, mostly civilians⁶, were killed during the so-called Anfal campaign.

On Tuesday a series of Kurdish witnesses described the alleged⁷ atrocities, including use of chemical weapons, widespread torture, and prison death camps. The witnesses told the court Iraqi soldiers rounded up thousands of Iraqi Kurds during the 1988 crackdown.

Seventy-eight-year-old Mutalib Mohammed Salman said he was taken to a prison in southern Iraq where scores of people including many of his own relatives died every day, either from disease, starvation or often brutal beatings from the Iraqi guards.

During a tense question and answer period afterward⁸, Saddam Hussein sharply criticized the witnesses.

If this is true, he asked, why did the witness never look for his own family's bodies afterwards? Why cannot he identify the location of his wife's grave?

Saddam accused the witnesses of dividing Iraq and helping⁹ fuel the country's bitter internal struggles. The former dictator and his co-defendants face charges of crimes against humanity and could be executed if found guilty.

The case unfolds as Iraq continues to battle a sharp rise in deadly sectarian violence.

More than 20 people died Tuesday, the latest casualties during what is quickly becoming one of Iraq's bloodiest¹⁰ months in several years.

The worst fighting has occurred in the northern town of Balad. According to U.S. officials at least 60 people there have been killed in a series of sectarian revenge killings¹² between the towns Suuni and Shiite Muslims. Earlier reports said nearly 100 people were killed.

U.S. troops joined Iraqi security forces to help contain the violence.

A U.S. military statement said coalition¹³ forces there have detained two Iraqi policemen allegedly involved in the killing¹¹ of 19 Shiites on Friday. Those murders sparked the most recent fighting in hard hit town.

1 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。

2 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

3 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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

8 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

9 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。

10 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 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。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。