2007年VOA标准英语-12 Convicted in Connection with Assassination o

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
23 May 2007

A Serbian court has found two former members of a Serbian paramilitary police unit and 10 co-conspirators guilty of the assassination¹ of reformist Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic four years ago. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest. 

Zoran Djindic (1999 file photo)

Former special police commander Milorad "Legija" Ulemek and his deputy Zvezdan Jovanovic were convicted of conspiring² with fellow paramilitary and underworld figures to shoot Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.  Both men received the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

Judge Nata Mesarevic told the Belgrade special court, which has been trying the case, that the men planned to first kill Mr. Djindjic then other state officials, to create a climate of fear and help hardliners regain³ power.

Serbia is still recovering from the loss of Mr. Djindjic.  A bullet from Jovanovic's rifle killed the prime minister as he got out of his car in Belgrade.  His death threw the country into a state of emergency, crippling the pro-Western reform program that he initiated⁴.

Srdja Popovic, a lawyer representing the Djindjic family, said it was not possible at the time to reveal the motive⁵ behind the crime, because of international pressure to distance Vojislav Kostunica from the case.  Mr. Kostunica is the conservative who succeeded Mr. Djindjic.

"The moment to solve the political background of the assassination was during the state of emergency," he said. 

It was clear to the public that at one moment prime minister Kostunica had to answer some questions, and then, according to the Politika daily news and statements of one of the members of Kostunica's party, foreign governments pressured the government at the time, not to involve Kostunica in the case and to put on trial the actual killers⁶ only. And he adds, "In my opinion, that happened because the EU was afraid that it could cause instability in the country."

Ten accomplices⁷ were given prison sentences, ranging between eight and 35 years. Five of the 12 have fled and were judged in absentia.  Some also served as paramilitaries in the Bosnian, Croatian and Kosovan conflicts. All defendants⁸ present in court denied the charges

Mr. Djindjic, Serbia's first democratically elected prime minister since World War II, spearheaded President Slobadan Milosevic's removal from power in 2000. He later handed Milosevic over to the U.N. tribunal to answer for his role in the wars during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Milosevic died of a heart attack in prison last year.

Although the trial was seen as a step towards more stability for Serbia, supporters of Mr. Djindjic described the sentences as too light.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

3 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

4 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

6 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

7 accomplices   

从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was given away by one of his accomplices. 他被一个同伙出卖了。
• The chief criminals shall be punished without fail, those who are accomplices under duress shall go unpunished and those who perform deeds of merIt'shall be rewarded. 首恶必办， 胁从不问，立功受奖。

8 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件