VOA标准英语 Mother of Somali Pirate Appeals for Mercy for Her So

The mother of the Somali piracy¹ suspect being held for trial in the United States is appealing for mercy for her son. She says he did not know what he was doing when he and three other men boarded a U.S.-flagged ship earlier this month and took the ship's captain hostage. But that opinion contrasts sharply with the description outlined by U.S. investigators² and the now freed captain, who say the alleged³ pirate was the ringleader of the operation.
　
Adar Abdirahman Hassan, mother of Somali piracy suspect Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse⁴

From the central Somali town of Galkayo, the mother of the alleged pirate, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, appealed to President Barack Obama to release her son, whom she described as a "talented boy" and "a good student."

Adar Abdirahman Hassan, who has four other children, tells VOA that the family is dirt poor. She says she believes Muse was tricked into becoming a pirate by men who falsely promised him money.

She says her oldest boy is only 16 years old and impressionable.
　
Abdiweli Muse (R) is led into Federal Plaza⁵ by Federal agents in New York City, 20 Apr 2009

Hassan says her son was doing well at school and had even hoped to study in the United States someday. But late last month, Muse failed to come home from school. She says 15 days after he disappeared, she heard on the radio that her son had been captured by the Americans as a suspected pirate.

Hassan says it breaks her heart to think that he will be tried as an adult criminal in the United States.

U.S. prosecutors⁶ say Muse is the sole survivor⁷ of a hijacking⁸ attempt on a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Somalia on April 8. The capture of the Maersk Alabama made news around the world after the pirates let the ship and its 20 crew members go, but took the ship's captain hostage in an enclosed lifeboat.

Four days later, U.S. Navy snipers killed three of the hijackers and rescued the captain, Richard Phillips.

Muse was subsequently flown from the Horn of Africa to New York, where he was charged Tuesday with five counts, including piracy.

In a criminal complaint filed by a Federal Bureau of Investigations⁹ agent, Captain Phillips describes Muse much differently than the na?ve, young boy his mother portrays¹⁰ him to be.

Phillips told the FBI agent that Muse was the first to board his ship and, in his words, "conducted himself as the leader of the pirates" Phillips said while the pirates held him hostage aboard the lifeboat, Muse told him he had hijacked¹¹ other ships before.

A New York federal court judge has ruled that Muse is at least 18 years-old and can be tried as an adult. But his mother's claim that he is a 16-year-old juvenile¹² could pose a problem for prosecutors seeking the maximum sentence of life imprisonment¹³. International law is more lenient¹⁴ toward juveniles¹⁵.

Determining Muse's true age is difficult because birth certificates are rare in Somalia, a country which has not had a functioning government for nearly two decades.

1 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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

4 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

5 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

6 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。

7 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

8 hijacking   

n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I have been told about the hijacking . 我已听说了那次劫机事件。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• They are taking measures to guarantee against the occurrence of hijacking. 他们正采取措施防止劫机事件的发生。

9 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

10 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

12 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

13 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

14 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

15 juveniles   

n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人

参考例句：

• Do you think that punishment for violent crimes should be the same for juveniles and adults? 你对暴力犯罪的惩罚对于青少年和成人应一样吗？ 来自生活英语口语25天快训
• Juveniles Should we not exactly in need of such strength and conviction? 少年的我们难道不正是需要这种力量和信念吗？ 来自互联网