VOA慢速英语--联合国称有证据表明沙特王子知道卡舒吉被杀

UN Says Evidence Suggests Saudi Prince Knew of Khashoggi's Killing¹

An independent report into the murder of Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi says there is “credible² evidence” of possible involvement by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin³ Salman.

The United Nations report said the evidence supports the need for a continued investigation⁴. It also suggested that sanctions be ordered on the Prince’s personal finances and property.

The report is likely to harden opinion against the crown prince among many Western governments. Critics say an operation of this size would have required the prince’s knowledge.

The 33-year-old Saudi prince denies any involvement in the killing. He continues to have the support of his father, King Salman. Saudi Arabia has blamed Saudi agents for independently killing the reporter.

UN human rights expert Agnes Callamard wrote the report. It said that The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible for Khashoggi’s killing.

Khashoggi criticized the crown prince. He is believed to have been killed and cut up into pieces inside the Saudi consulate⁶ in Istanbul by Saudi agents. His remains⁷ have not been found. Before his death, he had been living in the United States, near Washington, D.C. He wrote for the Washington Post and other news media. He left Saudi Arabia after a campaign against activists⁸ and critics of its rulers.

Callamard’s report also says there is “credible evidence pointing to the crime scenes (in Turkey) having been thoroughly⁹, even forensically¹⁰, cleaned.” This, the report says, suggests that Saudi Arabia’s own investigation was not carried out honestly.

There is “no reason why sanctions should not be applied¹¹ against the Crown Prince and his personal assets” the report says. It notes that, in the past, sanctions have been ordered even before findings of guilt¹² have been established.

UN report details the killing

The report also offers a minute-by-minute account of the events surrounding the killing based on audio recordings¹³ provided by Turkish officials. It notes the sounds of an electric tool were heard. The tool could have been used to cut up Khashoggi’s body.

It noted¹⁴ the “extreme sensitivity” of considering the criminal responsibility of the crown prince and his former adviser¹⁵ Saud al-Qahtani. Neither man has been charged.

“No conclusion is made as to guilt,” Callamard wrote of the two men. “The search for justice and accountability is not singularly dependent on finding a ‘smoking gun’ or the person holding it.”

She wrote that her examination was mainly to identify those who may have failed in or abused their positions of power.

The report also identified by name 15 suspects, of which 11 are on trial in Saudi Arabia. Five of those on trial may face execution under Saudi law.

Saudi Arabia has not released the names of those on trial and has kept trial activities mostly secret.

The U.N. report says the current trial of the 11 suspects in Saudi Arabia should be suspended because it fails to meet international rules. Callamard noted the trial is being held secretly. She also wrote that at least one person identified as responsible for the planning and organizing of the killing of Khashoggi has not been charged.

While some diplomats¹⁶ have been permitted to attend some of the Saudi court hearings, they were barred from speaking about them, she noted.

Callamard noted limitations on her examination, which began in January. She received no answer to her request to travel to Saudi Arabia. She also wrote that she had received only 45 minutes of tapes recorded within the consulate around the time of the killing. Turkish intelligence had said they had about seven hours of recordings.

Callamard also reported there was not enough evidence to suggest that either Turkey or the United States knew, or should have known, of an immediate¹⁷ threat to Khashoggi’s life.

The U.S. State Department has publicly named 16 people it says had a part in the killing of Khashoggi. Many U.S. lawmakers have criticized President Donald Trump¹⁸ for not condemning¹⁹ Saudi Arabia for the reporter’s killing.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

And I'm Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

credible - adj. able to be believed : reasonable to trust or believe

sanctions - n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc. — usually plural²⁰

consulate - n. ?the building where a consul⁵ lives and works?

scenes - n. ?the place of an event or action?

forensics - n. the study or science of solving crimes by using scientific knowledge or methods

conclusion - n. ?a final decision or judgment²¹?

smoking gun - n. a piece of evidence that clearly proves who did something or shows how something happened?

1 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。

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

6 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

10 forensically   

adv.forensic（法庭的，法庭用的；法医的；公开辩论的，论争的）的变形

参考例句：

• 'Now, I'll put you in a corner,' forensically shaking a forefinger at him. “我不会给你退路的。”他像在法庭上一样向他晃着一根指头。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

13 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

16 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

18 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

19 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

21 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。