VOA标准英语2008年-Human Rights Lawyers Say Senegal Closer to Habr

Lawyers for alleged¹ victims of Chad's former president Hissane Habre say a law passed by Senegal's Parliament clears the way to put the former ruler on trial. Brent Latham reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar, human rights advocates say they have gathered extensive evidence documenting Habre's alleged crimes.

Human rights advocates and lawyers for Habre's alleged victims are hopeful after a law passed by Senegal's Parliament put in place the legal framework to bring the former Chadian president to trial for crimes against humanity.

A spokesman for the Senegal's Justice Ministry² said the law, which still needs President Abdoulaye Wade³'s approval, is a constitutional reform which eliminates the statute⁴ of limitations on genocide and crimes against humanity. International observers say the law would be among the world's most stringent⁵ against such crimes.

With the new law in place, the most difficult obstacle to a trial has been removed, says Reed Brody, a prominent advocate of the case against Habre, and lawyer for New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"Now it's time for the Senegalese authorities to roll up their sleeves and begin this case," he said. "The victims have been waiting for a long time. Many of those who began this case eight years ago have died. So we're hoping now that all of the legal obstacles have been removed that the case can now move forward."

Habre has been accused of masterminding the systematic⁶ torture and murder of political opposition⁷ and the public during his eight years in power. He denies any wrong doing. In 2000, Habre was indicted⁸ in Senegal, where he has lived since being deposed⁹ in 1990. Senegal's courts said then they did not have jurisdiction¹⁰ and ruled that Habre could not be tried here.

Victims and their lawyers then turned to Belgium, which conducted an investigation¹¹ and issued an international arrest warrant for Habre in 2005. When a Senegalese court refused to rule on extradition¹², Mr. Wade, a lawyer himself, turned to the African Union. The AU called on Senegal to try Habre itself "in the name Africa."

Brody says if Senegal moves quickly, proceedings¹³ in Dakar could begin within a year.

Senegal has asked for help funding the trial, which it says will cost around $43 million. Though some international donors¹⁴, which include the EU and United States, have said that figure is exorbitant¹⁵, Brody feels certain the costs will be arranged. He says the evidence against Habre is substantial.

"Money will not be a problem and neither will evidence," said Brody. "The case against Hissene Habre is very strong. Human Rights Watch has given to the Senegalese the thousands of documents of Hissene Habre's political police that we were able to discover."

"These are documents that provide a real road map to how Hissene Habre carried out the repression¹⁶ in Chad in the 1980's. Thousands of death certificates, lists of detainees, spying reports, the names of over twelve thousand victims of different crimes, including 1,208 people who died in detention¹⁷, are found in these documents," he added.

Brody expressed concern that Habre may attempt to flee Senegal, since his legal status here is not clear. Jacqueline Moudeina, a Chad-based human rights lawyer representing some of the victims' families, says Senegal has an international obligation to prevent Habre from fleeing.

Moudeina says her clients and their families are anxious for the trial to move forward. She says her organization is also prepared to help the prosecutors¹⁸ by supplying evidence.

Though the process has been slow, Moudeina says, the families of the victims feel that they are one step close to justice.

 

 

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

4 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

5 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。

6 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

9 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

13 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

14 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 exorbitant   

adj.过分的；过度的

参考例句：

• More competition should help to drive down exorbitant phone charges.更多的竞争有助于降低目前畸高的电话收费。
• The price of food here is exorbitant. 这儿的食物价格太高。

16 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

17 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。

18 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。