2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq Braces for Verdict in Saddam Hussein War C
时间:2019-01-11 作者:英语课 分类:2006年VOA标准英语(十一月)
By Benjamin Sand
Irbil, Iraq
04 November 2006
Saddam Hussein in court, Sept. 25, 2006
A verdict in Saddam Hussein's long-running war crimes trial is finally near, and could come as early as Sunday morning. From Iraq, VOA's Benjamin Sand reports that security has been stepped up around the country, as officials there brace 1 for a possibly violent backlash if the former Iraqi dictator is found guilty.
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Military leaves have been canceled and Iraqi troops are on high alert.
A week ago, Saddam Hussein's defense 2 lawyer warned that a guilty verdict in the lengthy 3 trial could spark violence throughout the Middle East.
Former Iraqi President Saddam and seven co-defendants are being tried for allegedly ordering the murder in 1982 of nearly 150 people in the Shi'ite town of Dujail, north of Baghdad. The killings 4 came after an attempt on Saddam's life.
The court in Baghdad has been hearing evidence in the case for 10 months. If convicted, the ousted 5 Iraqi dictator could face the death penalty.
Whatever the verdict, many Iraqis say the trial has already stripped Saddam of his once almost mystical hold over the country.
"It's gone, totally gone," says an Iraqi. "We don't fear of him anymore, we don't fear. He don't have power anymore, he don't have his people who pray for him, not anymore. All this [is] gone, he's nothing, only a normal person now."
One possible measure of Saddam's diminished stature 6 is the fact that public interest in the trial has appeared to wane 7 considerably 8.
The proceedings 9 are shown live on national television, but what with delays in court, and a surge in sectarian violence across much of the country distracting their attention, many people say they stopped watching months ago.
Twenty-nine-year-old Ali Hussein, an outspoken 10 critic of Saddam, recently left Baghdad for the relative safety of the Kurdistan region in Northern Iraq.
He says the trial has taken a back seat to the struggle of many families here simply to survive the expanding violence.
"The most important thing in Iraq is how people can live safe and can we stop [the killing]," he said. "I don't care what's going to happen to Saddam Hussein. If he's going to be killed or not, if he's going to jail or not, what I care about is my family, my work in Iraq."
Saddam is being tried in two separate war crimes cases at the same time. In the second case, he is accused of genocide, stemming from the so-called Anfal campaign in 1988 against the Kurds of Northern Iraq.
A verdict in that second trial is not expected until sometime next year. However, if Saddam is convicted and condemned 11 in the Dujail case, many Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, are pushing for him to be executed quickly, even if the Anfal trial is still in progress.
But legal experts here say such quick action remains 12 highly unlikely. If the first court does impose the death penalty in the Dujail case, the sentence would automatically be appealed to a nine-member appellate court. A final decision there could take at least several months.
- My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
- You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。
- 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。
- We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
- The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。
- 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。
- He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
- He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。
- He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
- The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。
- The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
- Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。
- The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
- The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
- 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
- He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
- She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。