2007年VOA标准英语-Enemy Combatant Tribunals Raise New Questions o

By Gary Thomas
Washington
22 March 2007

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Sign at entrance of Camp Delta

On March 26 Australian terror suspect David Hicks will become the first detainee held by the United States to be tried in the new military commissions created by the Bush administration. The U.S. government says it intends to use the commissions to try up to 80 detainees on war crimes charges. As VOA Correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the military tribunal system has again raised questions about U.S. legal and physical treatment of terrorist suspects.

Before any formal military trial, detainees appear before an Enemy Combatant Status Review Tribunal, a panel of military officers that determines if the detainee is to remain in confinement². But the convening³ of the panels and upcoming military trials has resurrected questions about how the U.S. is dealing⁴ with suspected terrorists.

On March 9, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was the first of 14 high-value detainees to face a status review tribunal. The 14 men were transferred to a prison at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from secret CIA facilities abroad in September to comply with new U.S. government rules on the handling and treatment of detainees.

A confidential⁵ report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, leaked to the Associated Press, quotes all 14 high-value detainees as saying they have been mistreated while in CIA custody⁶.

In his hearing, Mohammad, who confesses to a major role in 31 terrorist plots, including the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, also claims to have been tortured by CIA interrogators. But further information on his allegations was edited out of the transcript⁷ released by the Pentagon. David Hicks also claims to have been tortured.

Former British counter-terrorism officer Tom Parker says claims of torture undermine any confession⁸ such as the one made by Mohammad.

"It may or may not be true. But the bottom line is, because we do not know how he was treated, we do not know the techniques he was subjected to, and indeed, if he has been subjected to techniques beyond the traditional law enforcement tools, it has to discredit⁹ what he says," said Parker. "And the fact that it comes so long after he has been held incommunicado, whether it is true or not becomes almost beside the point. Clearly the credibility of his confession is vastly reduced. It is almost nil¹⁰."

Mohammad was captured in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, in 2003.

White House spokesman Tony Snow flatly denies that the detainees were tortured in U.S. custody.

"The policy of this government is that we do not engage in torture. There are very specific guidelines that have been laid down in terms of the questioning of people who have in fact been in U.S. custody," said Snow.

Former CIA officer Michael Scheuer, who once headed the unit hunting Osama bin¹¹ Laden¹², says Mohammad and his fellow detainees may be making claims of torture as a form of psychological warfare¹³ against the United States.

"It is very clear that he is very cognizant, for example, of the debate over the propriety¹⁴ of using enhanced interrogation techniques, of running a place like Guantanamo," he said. "It is very clear he is trying to cause the United States problems with the Europeans and with human-rights people by claiming he was tortured, by claiming that a large number of the people at Guantanamo really have not done anything wrong. It is really a very, very sophisticated performance by a man whose English is not all that great, really."

Besides condemning¹⁵ the allegations of torture, human-rights groups such as Amnesty International have also urged the United States to abandon trial by military commission because legal standards are less stringent¹⁶ than those of U.S. civilian¹⁷ courts.

Former FBI agent Jack¹⁸ Cloonan was on the counter-terrorism squad¹⁹ in the New York field office. Cloonan says in light of Mohammad's confession before the status review panel, it would be better if he and the other terrorist suspects were tried in regular courts.

"I am not finding fault necessarily with the military tribunals, the commissions that will ultimately determine his fate," said Cloonan. "But I think for all of us and the rest of the world that is going to look at this, we would be much better served by having this in a U.S. federal district court, rather than having a military tribunal. There will be a cloud hanging over this, despite his having elocuted [spoken] over this and pleaded to these 31 different episodes. I would much rather have him in a court of law, defended by counsel, rather than this."

David Hicks, an Australian, has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of providing material support for terrorism. Other charges, including attempted murder and aiding the enemy, were dropped.

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 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。

3 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

8 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。

9 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

10 nil   

n.无，全无，零

参考例句：

• My knowledge of the subject is practically nil.我在这方面的知识几乎等于零。
• Their legal rights are virtually nil.他们实际上毫无法律权利。

11 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。

12 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

13 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

14 propriety   

n.正当行为；正当；适当

参考例句：

• We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。
• The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。

15 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》

16 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

17 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

18 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

19 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。