2007年VOA标准英语-Man Accused of Spying for Israel Returns to Egy

By Leslie Boctor
Cairo
28 February 2007

An Egyptian Canadian man accused of spying for Israel appeared in an Egyptian court where he denied many of the allegations that have swirled¹ around the unusual case.  Leslie Boctor has more for VOA from Cairo.

Mohamed Essam Ghoneim El Attar flashes the victory sign while being escorted to speak with State Court Judge Sayed al-Gohari (R) during his second day in court in Cairo, 28 Feb 2007

From his heavily guarded prison cage, Mohamed El Attar shouted his innocence² to the judge, and told journalists that a police officer had beaten and used electric shocks on him while in solitary³ confinement⁴ for four weeks and forced him to drink his own urine.

El Attar has been charged with spying on behalf of Israel, but the court proceedings⁵ focused heavily on his denial that he is a convert to Christianity or a homosexual.  Shaking his head vigorously, El Attar denied he had converted to Christianity, as he previously⁶ confessed, saying that he is a believing Muslim.

The trial of Mohamad El Attar has come to be referred to as simply "el Ghesous il ginz", or the sex spy.  But today at his second court appearance, El Attar denied the strange allegations surrounding his case, including those of homosexuality.

Egyptian authorities have charged Mohamad El Attar with working as a low-level agent for Israeli intelligence while living in Canada and Turkey.  The 300-page court file outlines a confession⁷ that El Attar has now said he was coerced⁸ into giving.

His confession states that he had sought asylum⁹ in 2003 in Canada on the basis of his homosexuality.  He claimed to have converted from Islam to Christianity.  He said that he used his position at a Toronto bank to track financial transactions within the Arab community, and had recruited 20 Arab Canadians to work for Israeli intelligence.

The lively court proceedings were repeatedly interrupted by journalists and the accused shouting out questions and commentary to the judge.  At one point during the proceedings, the judge asked him to approach the bench to inspect his ears to determine if one of them was pierced, and declared there was no pierced ear.

His last lawyer, who dropped the case after the first court appearance, said that when he visited El Attar in prison, he had dyed red hair and was wearing an earring¹⁰.  He also stated El Attar had been cut off by his family because of the charges brought against him.

Current El Attar lawyer, Ibrahim Bassoyouni, said that his family had not abandoned him and had been visiting him in jail.  He said that El Attar had originally pleaded guilty to the charges because of the advice of his first lawyer and that he told Bassoyouni his alleged¹¹ testimony¹² was false.

"Mohamad El Attar told me the reports of his confession that were attributed to him during his interrogation were not true and that he did not say any of the claims that were being made in his name," Bassoyouni said.

Bassyouni also added he was confident El Attar would be found innocent.  El Attar was arrested in Cairo at the beginning of January while on a trip to visit his family.

Egyptian police have also issued warrants for three Israelis who have been charged as part of the alleged spy ring.  The Egyptian authorities said El-Attar came to Canada in 2003 with the help of his Israeli handlers.

1 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

2 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

3 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

4 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

5 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

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

8 coerced   

v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• He was coerced into making a confession. 他被迫招供。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

10 earring   

n.耳环，耳饰

参考例句：

• How long have you worn that earring?你戴那个耳环多久了？
• I have an earring but can't find its companion.我现在只有一只耳环,找不到另一只了。

11 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

12 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。