2007年VOA标准英语-First Guantanamo Military Commission Hearing to

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
26 March 2007

An Australian detainee held by U.S. authorities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is to be the first so-called enemy combatant tried under a new military commission procedure that was approved by the U.S. Congress last year. David Hicks, who was picked up by U.S. authorities in Afghanistan in 2001, is scheduled to be formally charged in a preliminary hearing Monday. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.

defense1 council U.S. Marine2 Corps3 Maj. Michael Mori, standing, before a military commission at Guantanamo Naval4 Base (Aug 2004)" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070529/0854130.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Courtroom illustration, David Hicks (center) as his defense council US Marine Corps Maj. Michael Mori, stands, before military commission at Guantanamo Naval Base (Aug 2004)

David Hicks has been held at Guantanamo for more than five years. U.S. authorities have accused him of fighting against U.S. troops alongside the Taleban in Afghanistan.

The long list of terrorism-related charges against Hicks has been reduced to the single charge of providing material support for terrorism. He will be the first Guantanamo detainee charged under new rules for military trials, which were adopted after the Supreme⁵ Court in June cast aside the previous system.

Hick's lawyers say he plans to plead not guilty.

The 31-year-old Hicks is a high school dropout⁶ and former kangaroo skinner, who converted to Islam in 1999. His father has said Hicks went to Afghanistan in early 2001 as part of a religious pilgrimage.

Court documents say Hicks was armed with grenades and an assault rifle, and had been trying to join the fight in Afghanistan for weeks, but apparently⁷ failed to win the confidence of his al-Qaida associates.

Human Rights Watch U.S. Advocacy Director Jennifer Daskal says the new military commissions are better than the old military tribunal system. But speaking by telephone from Guantanamo Bay, she said although the rules of the new military commissions are clearer, she has doubts about the fairness of the process.

"The rules that are laid out here raise serious concerns about whether or not these trials will be fair," she said.

Most importantly, she pointed⁸ to the use of evidence obtained through cruel, inhumane and degrading interrogation techniques, and rules that allow the U.S. government to conceal⁹ from the defense information about interrogation methods and activities.

She is among a group of non-governmental organization representatives and journalists who will be present in the hearing as observers.

In a VOA interview earlier this month, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said he believes the Guantanamo facility should be shut down.

"Guantanamo should simply be closed," he said. "I mean, it has become a symbol of injustice¹⁰. It is a scar on America's reputation around the world. And there is no reason that anyone should continue to be held there. People should either be tried before a fair and proper tribunal, or they should be released."

In a regular White House briefing Friday, spokesman Tony Snow said he does not expect Guantanamo to be shut down before President Bush leaves office in January 2009.

"The fact that we have just begun a legal procedure that does take time, and in cognizance of the rights of those involved, there are still quite a number of detainees, and I am imaging that - and I think it's pretty solid ground, but you can certainly contact the Department of Defense, which is coordinating¹¹ military commissions - it's highly unlikely that you can dispense¹² with all those cases between now and the end of the administration," he said.

U.S. authorities say they plan to try as many as 80 of the 385 detainees being held at Guantanamo. Another 80 detainees have been approved for release or transfer to another country, pending¹³ the results of negotiations¹⁴ with those countries.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• 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。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

7 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

9 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

10 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

11 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

12 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

13 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

14 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。