2007年VOA标准英语-Russian Military Court Convicts Four Soldiers o

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
14 June 2007

A military court in southern Russia Thursday convicted four soldiers, three in absentia, for the murder of six Chechen civilians² in 2002.  The conviction comes after two civilian¹ juries had found the men innocent.  The case has been followed closely in Chechnya and by human rights activists³ in Russia and abroad.  VOA's Moscow correspondent has this report.

Lieutenant⁴ Alexei Perelevsky shook his head as a three-judge military panel in the city of Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to nine years in jail for the murder of six Chechen civilians, including a pregnant woman, in 2002.  Perelevsky was the only defendant⁵ present at the retrial.  The others disappeared in April.  Perelevsky's commander, Captain Eduard Ulman, was given a 14-year sentence in absentia.  One of the lieutenant's colleagues received 12 years and the other 11. 

The prosecutor⁶, Nikolai Tetov, had asked for more, but told journalists he was satisfied.

Tetov says he does not see the verdict as a great tragedy.  He adds that it is the prerogative⁷ of the court to assess actions by the defendants⁸ and to apply appropriate sanctions within legal guidelines.  

Speaking on Russian television (NTV), an attorney for relatives of the victims, Murad Musayev, said the families are also satisfied with the sentences, but regret they cannot be carried out immediately for all of the defendants.  Officials in Chechnya say the punishments are too lenient⁹.

Earlier, two civilian juries had acquitted¹⁰ the soldiers.  In London, Victoria Webb, who follows human rights issues in the Russian Federation¹¹ for Amnesty International, told the VOA that the juries had accepted the defense¹² argument of soldiers merely following orders.

"But, today's verdict is a very welcome acknowledgement of the fact that defense of following orders is not a defense in Russian domestic legislation, nor under international law, and nor can it ever be," Webb said.

Earlier acquittals of the four soldiers had sparked outrage¹³ in the Caucasus, deepening a sense that Russian troops in Chechnya act with impunity¹⁴.  Victoria Webb says Thursday's verdict is important, because it shows that serious war crimes in Chechnya can be successfully prosecuted¹⁵ in Russian courts.  She notes, however, that many other crimes against humanity in region have gone unpunished. 

1 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。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 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》

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 prerogative   

n.特权

参考例句：

• It is within his prerogative to do so.他是有权这样做的。
• Making such decisions is not the sole prerogative of managers.作这类决定并不是管理者的专有特权。

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

9 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

10 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

11 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

12 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。

13 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

14 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

15 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。