voa标准英语2008-September 11 Defendants at Guantanamo Say They W

Five alleged¹ conspirators² in the September 11 attacks, who are on trial at the U.S. Naval³ Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have told the judge they want to confess, and have withdrawn⁴ all legal motions filed as part of their defense⁵.

In the specially⁶ built courtroom at Guantanamo, the judge, a U.S. Army colonel, read a letter from the five defendants⁷ in which they request a special hearing so they can confess to their involvement in the attacks, which killed 2,973 people.
　

'Camp Justice' sign near the high-security courtroom in Guantanamo, Cuba, 08 Dec 2008

The judge said he would question each of the defendants to be sure they understand the implications of their plan, which would likely lead to formal convictions and could result in death sentences.

Several of the men, including the most prominent among them, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, previously⁸ told the court they were involved in the attacks and have said they want to be executed, achieving what they consider martyrdom.

Detainee group led by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed seeks martyrdom

According to their letter, they decided⁹ to make this move on November 4, the day Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Mr. Obama has said he wants to close the Guantanamo detention¹⁰ center and will take a fresh look at the controversial military commissions system in which the men are being tried.

Several experts said the defendants may believe their chance at martyrdom is slipping away. But Joanne Mariner¹¹ at Human Rights Watch says that may not be a bad thing.

"What Khalid Sheikh Mohamed wants is martyrdom," said Mariner. "And why should we hand him martyrdom on a platter in a way that can be seen in the wider Muslim world as an unfair process. Why not give him a fair process, and then whatever result comes out of it will be recognized as fair."

Rights group urges trials to continue in regular U.S. courts

Mariner says Human Rights Watch wants all the detainees at Guantanamo moved to prisons in the United States and tried in regular U.S. civilian¹² or military courts. Some could still face the death penalty in those courts, but it might be more difficult for prosecutors¹³ to meet all the criteria¹⁴.

A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the latest developments at Guantanamo. But officials say the military commissions will continue as scheduled until they receive different orders, which could come from the new president after he takes office January 20.

At Human Rights Watch, Joanne Mariner also expressed concern that some or all of the defendants in the September 11 case may have been coerced¹⁵ into offering to confess. During their last court appearance in June, the U.S. military lawyers assigned to some of the defendants charged that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had intimidated¹⁶ their clients into joining him in a defiant¹⁷ stance toward the court.

The other defendants in the September 11 conspiracy¹⁸ trial are Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi, Walid bin¹⁹ Attash and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali.

1 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

2 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

5 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。

6 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

7 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

8 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。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

11 mariner   

n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者

参考例句：

• A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.平静的大海决不能造就熟练的水手。
• A mariner must have his eye upon rocks and sands as well as upon the North Star.海员不仅要盯着北极星，还要注意暗礁和险滩。

12 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。

13 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

14 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

15 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》

16 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

18 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

19 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。