2006年VOA标准英语-Liberia's Charles Taylor Appears in Court,

By Joe Bavier
Freetown
03 April 2006

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has made his first appearance before Sierra Leone's special war crimes court. Joe Bavier was at the U.N.-backed court in Freetown and reports for VOA that, though finally behind bars, the ex-warlord remained defiant¹ at the opening of his long-awaited trial.

----------------------------------------------------

Charles Taylor makes his first appearance at the Special Court in Freetown, April 3, 2006   
  

Dressed in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, Taylor remained calm and expressionless during the reading of the 11 counts against him, a process that took nearly half-an-hour.

The former president of Liberia is facing charges of terrorizing civilians², unlawful killings³, sexual and physical violence, and using child soldiers among others. The charges stem from his alleged⁴ backing of the notorious Revolutionary United Front rebels during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war.

When it was time for Taylor to reply to the charges against him, instead of entering a plea, he made a statement.

"There's an issue here regarding this court, its right to exercise its jurisdiction⁵ over me, as the 21st president of the Republic of Liberia," he said.

However, the presiding judge, Justice Richard Lussick, refused to accept Taylor's protests.

"Until such time as your initial appearance is completed, you do not have the right to bring any motions before this court," he said.

But even as he pled not guilty to all 11 charges, Taylor remained calm and defiant.

"Most definitely, your honor, I did not, and I could not have committed these acts against the sister Republic of Sierra Leone," he said. "I think, this is an attempt to continue to divide and rule Liberia and Sierra Leone. And so, most definitely, I am not guilty."

After only an hour in session, Justice Lussick attempted to draw the day's proceedings⁶ to a close. But Taylor still had one surprise left for the court.

Courtroom where Charles Taylor appeared in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monday   
  
Against expectations, Taylor requested his trial be held in Freetown. Both Liberia's current president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and the Special Courts president have requested the trial be moved to The Hague.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to put forward a resolution on a change of venue⁷ early this week. And members of Taylor's own political party in Liberia, the NPP, have supported the move.

But Taylor says, if he is to stand trial, he wants it to be in the sub-region.

1 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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

5 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

6 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

7 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。