VOA标准英语2010年-UAE Royal Acquitted of Torture

Human rights groups are criticizing an Emirati court for exonerating¹ Sheikh Issa bin² Zayed al-Nahyan, who was caught on videotape beating a man with a nailed plank³, setting him on fire and running him over with a vehicle.

Phillip Walter Wellman | Dubai 11 January 2010

Undated file picture shows Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahayan

Sheikh Issa, who is the half brother of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, has been cleared of all charges of torture, but the judge presiding over the case has failed to give an explanation for the verdict.

It was the first time that a member of the nation's ruling family had been put on trial and the outcome has been questioned by several international observers.

Ibrahim al-Abed, General Director of the Emirates News Agency, say the ruling is final.

"The court has decided⁴ and that is all," he said. "Some people have started questioning the decision… It's too late because when the court makes a decision nobody has a right to question [it]."

Sheikh Issa's actions came to light last year when the US television network ABC aired footage of him apparently⁵ torturing Afghani grain trader Mohammed Shahpoor, who is said to have cheated him in a business transaction.

The man managed to survive the ordeal⁶.

Issa's lawyers never denied it was their client in the video, but they say he was drugged by two former business associates beforehand and was not aware of what he was doing.

Lebanese-American brothers Bassam and Ghassan Nabulsi, who publicized the footage, are accused of giving drugs to the sheikh in order to blackmail⁷ him.

They deny the charges, but have been sentenced in absentia to five years in prison and fined nearly $3,000.

Sheikh Issa's lawyer, Habib al-Mulla, says the verdict represents the UAE's commitment to the rule of law.

Critics, however, say the ruling highlights the UAE's disrespect for human rights.

Before the judgment⁸ was handed down, Democratic Congressman⁹ James McGovern affirmed that the Arab nation's track record on human rights concerned him.

"I think anybody who saw the tape that I saw where a member of the royal family was torturing this man from Afghanistan - I think it gives you pause," McGovern said. "At the end of the day, my hope is that the UAE will get its act together and punish people no matter what their stature¹⁰ is if they commit crimes. I do believe that's something the United States should be urging."

The United States has not made an official comment on Sheikh Issa's trial, but McGovern says America is committed to promoting human rights in the Emirates.

"We're going to continue to expose human rights abuses in the UAE and hopefully it will result in some positive developments in the UAE where people who commit crimes, who are high up in the royal family or in the government, will be held to account," he said.

A security guard who was seen on video helping¹¹ Sheikh Issa carry out his assault has also been acquitted¹², but a Syrian national has been given one year in jail for beating Shahpoor and an Indian and a Palestinian have both been sentenced to three years for sodomizing him with a stick.

The judge says the reasoning behind the vertices will be published at a later date.

1 exonerating   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

2 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。

3 plank   

n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目

参考例句：

• The plank was set against the wall.木板靠着墙壁。
• They intend to win the next election on the plank of developing trade.他们想以发展贸易的纲领来赢得下次选举。

4 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。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

7 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

9 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

10 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 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。