VOA常速英语2008年-Former Indonesian Militia Leader Released from

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
08 April 2008

Just hours after being released following two years in a Jakarta prison, former pro-Jakarta militia¹ leader Eurico Guterres announced plans to run for Indonesia's parliament next year. As VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from Jakarta, Guterres' 10-year sentence for human rights abuses committed during East Timor's vote for independence was overturned last week by Indonesia's supreme² court.

 

Eurico Guterres, the pro-Jakarta militia leader serving a 10-year jail sentence for crimes against humanity, walked out of Jakarta's Cipinang prison, late Monday evening, two days after the supreme court over turned his conviction.

Guterres, who studied law while in prison, says he will return to West Timor to visit his family before returning to Jakarta to continue his studies and prepare to run for parliament elections, next year.

Guterres was the only person jailed for the post-election violence after East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999. Seventeen other suspects indicted³ by Jakarta prosecutors⁴ were eventually set free, following acquittals by the supreme court and the appellate court.

At least 1,000 people were killed and much of the country's infrastructure⁵ destroyed by angry pro-Jakarta militias⁶, backed by the Indonesian army, after East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia's 24-year rule.

A lawyer for Guterres, Mahendratta, says his client does not intend to seek compensation from the government for his time in prison.

"We all happy because we can prove the truth to the supreme court and he has been released," he said. "Eurico Guterres said that he will not keep hard feelings to the government of Indonesia and he will not sue the government of Indonesia."

International and national human rights groups have criticized Indonesia's failure to bring those responsible for the violence in East Timor to justice.

In 2005, Indonesia and East Timor formed a joint⁷ truth commission to investigate the violence surrounding the independence vote.

But the truth commission does not have any power to prosecute⁸ and can recommend amnesty for those found guilty of major crimes.

The United Nations is boycotting⁹ the commission because of the amnesty provision.

Usman Hamid, from the Indonesian human rights group Kontras, calls on the international community to support an international tribunal.

"This is very important in Indonesia, not only in regards to international community, to make sure that those responsible for crimes against humanity be prosecuted¹⁰ in international ad hoc tribunal," Hamid said. "But also it is important to improve Indonesian national legal system so that in the future we won't have this kind of violence take place again."

East Timor, a former Portuguese¹¹ colony, has been independent since 2002.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

4 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。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

9 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

10 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

11 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。