VOA标准英语2009-US Terror Trial Decision Sparks Opposition,

Jim Malone | Washington 25 November 2009

Attorney General Eric Holder¹ testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department oversight².

Attorney General Defends Decision to Try 9/11 Suspects in Civilian³ Court
The Obama administration's decision to try five alleged⁴ plotters of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States in the civilian court system has sparked angry opposition⁵ from congressional Republicans, and many questions from legal analysts⁶.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said it was his toughest decision to date - to try alleged September 11th terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in federal court, rather than through a military commission. 

"Nothing can bring back those loved ones," he said.  "But they deserve the opportunity to see the alleged plotters of those attacks held accountable in open court, an opportunity that has too long been delayed."

Among the early critics was Michael Mukasey, a former federal judge who has presided at a major terrorism trial and who served as attorney general at end of the Bush administration.

"A decision that I consider to be not only be unwise, but in fact based on a refusal to face the fact that what we are involved with here is a war with people who follow a religiously-based ideology⁷ that calls on them to kill us, and to return instead to the mindset that prevailed before September 11, 2001," he said.

Mukasey and other critics, including former Vice⁸ President Dick Cheney, argue that the decision to try the 9/11 suspects in civilian court is the latest in a series of steps by the Obama administration that calls into question its commitment to fight the war on terror.

Attorney General Holder recently defended his decision in a recent hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"I have every confidence that the nation and the world will see him for the coward that he is," he added.  "I'm not scared of what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has to say at trial, and no one else needs to be afraid either."

That did not satisfy Senate Republicans like Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.  He says so-called enemy combatants, foreign fighters captured on overseas battlefields, should not be granted the protections of the U.S. civilian legal system.

"Under domestic criminal law, the moment the person is in the hands of the United States government, they are entitled to be told they have a right to a lawyer and can remain silent," he explained.  "And if we go down that road, we are going to make this country less safe.  That is my problem with what you have done."

Republicans cite recent public opinion polls that generally show Americans would prefer to try the alleged terrorists in military commissions, where the rules of evidence favor the prosecution⁹.

But many Democrats¹⁰ have rallied to Holder's defense¹¹, arguing that a federal court trial for the alleged 9/11 plotters will show the world that the United States has faith in its civilian legal institutions and the rule of law.

This is Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin speaking to Eric Holder during last week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing:

"[Attorney] General, I want to commend you for your decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 plotters in federal court," he said.  "It is about time that we bring these criminals to justice, and your decision shows the world that this country stands firmly behind its legal system and the Constitution."

Some analysts have expressed concern that holding the trial in New York City, the site of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, will once again make the city a prime terrorist target.

Legal experts also predict that defense counsel for Mohammed and the other defendants¹² will raise the issue of their treatment in captivity¹³ at the U.S. Naval¹⁴ base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Mohammed, for example, was subject to a simulated drowning technique known as water boarding 183 times.

Charles Stimson served as Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Detainee Affairs during the Bush administration.

He notes that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has already boasted about his role as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks during military commission proceedings¹⁵ at Guantanamo Bay.

Stimson says he worries that a civilian trial could become a circus if Mohammed tries to turn it into a propaganda event for al-Qaida.

"I have no doubt, as a former federal prosecutor¹⁶, that he can and will get a fair trial in federal court," he said.  "I don't think anyone disputes that.  Hasn't he been offering and begging to plead guilty in his military commissions trial for a long time?  Wouldn't that be sure and swift justice since the plea of guilty is the strongest form of proof known to the law?"

Some legal experts continue to raise questions about the validity of the military commissions, even though the Obama administration and Congress have taken steps to give defendants more rights in that process.

There is little doubt that a civilian trial will be a lengthy¹⁷ process.  One former federal prosecutor involved in past terrorism cases predicts that it is likely that the 9/11 terror trial will not even begin for another two years.

 

1 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

2 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

3 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。

4 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

5 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。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 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

13 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

14 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。

15 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

16 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。

17 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。