美国国家公共电台 NPR At A Makeshift Iraqi Court, Harsh Justice For Those Accused Of Aiding ISIS

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: 

Iraqi forces in Mosul have captured ISIS fighters and also locals accused of supporting them. Many of those alleged¹ supporters end up in a makeshift courthouse in a town just north of Mosul. NPR's Peter Kenyon watched one of those cases.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE²: The Skeikhan criminal court occupies a municipal office building north of Mosul. The court rooms a medium-sized office with light brown paneling and four desks. Judge Muhdi Salah Suleiman left Mosul in 2014 after the city was overrun by ISIS fighters. Now a displaced judge in a displaced court, he adjusts his black robe and addresses the slender man standing³ in front of him, eyes looking at the floor.

MUHDI SALAH SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: The defendant⁴ is Abu Mohammad, a 33-year-old villager from Salahadin Province. The judge tells him he's accused of providing material assistance to ISIS by fixing their cars for money - not making car bombs, but repairing broken down vehicles so ISIS fighters can use them. It's a serious charge, and the judge wants to know how Abu Mohammed pleads.

SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

ABU MOHAMMAD: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: I swear I'm not guilty. I swear it, he says before being led away. The judge has already heard from the defendant's brother, sister and wife, who all told the tale of how the family fled as ISIS forces advanced. They differed on some of the details, but all agreed that Abu Mohammad never helped ISIS. During a break, the wife, Umm Mohammed - NPR agreed not to use their legal name so as not to expose the family to retaliatory⁵ attacks - says she's certain her husband didn't support ISIS in any way.

UMM MOHAMMAD: (Through interpreter) No, no, no. It's not true. He never had any relationship with ISIS. He can't even read or write. He doesn't drive. How can he fix their cars?

KENYON: When the session resumes, defense⁶ attorney Rabah Attiyeh gets his one chance to address the court. His client was arrested roughly a year and a half ago, but this is the first time he's been able to meet him. The court has previously⁷ heard from police that when they arrested Abu Mohammad, he confessed to fixing ISIS vehicles for cash in Mosul.

RABAH ATTIYEH: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: Atiyah reads a brief written statement reminding the court that confessions⁹ can be coerced¹⁰ by torture. Minutes later, Abu Mohammad is again standing before the judge. It's not good news.

SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: The judge is sentencing Abu Mohammad to 15 years in jail, minus the year-plus he's already served waiting for trial. He appears to be in shock as he walks stiffly out of court. The judge says he saw no sign of torture and had no reason to doubt the original confession⁸. It's a case that raises questions of due process. It's not clear where the initial allegation against Abu Mohammed came from. He faced a lengthy¹¹ delay between arrest and trial and didn't get to see his attorney until the day of the verdict, but it is at least a state-sanctioned effort in administering criminal justice under trying circumstances.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: There's a shortage of judges, which partly accounts for the long delays. And while they do get their salaries here, there's no money for heating, paper, supplies. All that has to be scrounged for locally to keep the court running. None of these cases involve actual ISIS fighters, either Iraqis or foreigners. The judge says he doesn't know where they wind up, though there's supposed to be a system in place.

It reminds me of a scene in front of the West Emergency Hospital in Erbil recently. A suspected ISIS supporter is hustled¹² out the door in handcuffs, and his intelligence officers ease him into a waiting car. I ask one if he'll be appearing in a courtroom any time soon. He smiles, shakes his head and says, no, I don't think so before they drive off. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Sheikhan, Northern Iraq.

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 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

5 retaliatory   

adj.报复的

参考例句：

• The process can take years before the WTO approves retaliatory action. 在WTO通过此行动之前，这个程序恐怕要等上一阵子了。 来自互联网
• Retaliatory tariffs on China are tantamount to taxing ourselves as a punishment. 将惩罚性关税强加于中国相当于对我们自己实施课税惩罚。 来自互联网

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 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。

8 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

9 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 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》

11 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。

12 hustled   

催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。
• The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。