VOA标准英语2009年-Hague Court Considers Sudanese Rebel Leade

By Lauren Comiteau
The Hague
19 October 2009

 
Darfur rebel chief Bahar Idriss Abu Garda sits in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court at The Hague, 19 Oct 2009 
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has begun a preliminary hearing to determine whether Sudanese rebel leader Bahr Idriss Abu Garda must stand trial for war crimes. Abu Garda is charged with leading an attack against African Union peacekeepers in Darfur two years ago. 

Bahr Idriss Abu Garda appeared in court Monday dressed in a gray suit and stripped tie instead of his familiar fighter's khaki and turban. Wearing glasses, he listened intently as the court officer read out the charges against him.

"Mr. Abu Garda jointly¹ and with..forces under his control killed 12 …peacekeeping personnel and attempted to kill 8 peacekeeping personnel," a court official stated.

There are three counts in all: violence to life or murder, attacking peacekeeping personnel and property, and pillaging². They all stem from a September 2007 attack on an African Union peacekeeping base in the contested Darfur region of Sudan.

Twelve peacekeepers were killed and another eight wounded in the assault that prosecutors³ say the 46 year old Abu Garda helped lead. Two other rebel commanders have also been accused of the crimes. But Abu Garda, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, is the only one who has voluntarily appeared in court. Prosecutors are considering issuing arrest warrants for the other two.

The pretrial hearing is expected to last two weeks. The judges were careful to point out that this is not a trial and that no determination of guilt⁴ or innocence⁵ will be made. But prosecutors, defense⁶ lawyers and representatives of the victims will have the opportunity to make their case. Judges will then have 60 days to decide whether to proceed to trial.

Abu Garda's lawyer says the rebel leader had nothing to do with the attack and is confident he will not face trial. But prosecutors say he was one of the commanders of some one thousand men in a convoy⁷ of 30 heavily armed vehicles that attacked the Haskanita military base in North Darfur.

The African union peacekeepers, now working with a UN force, have not been able to end the region's fighting. An estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million displaced since the conflict began six years ago.

The ICC has issued three arrest warrants over the Darfur conflict to date, including one against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir earlier this year. But the Khartoum government dismisses the court's jurisdiction⁸ and refuses to cooperate in any way, making Abu Garda's case the first at this court to deal with Darfur.

1 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

2 pillaging   

v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The rebels went looting and pillaging. 叛乱者趁火打劫，掠夺财物。
• Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting. 士兵们横冲直撞，洗劫商店并且开枪射击。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

5 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

6 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。

7 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

8 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。