VOA慢速英语2022 土耳其将把对哈苏吉嫌疑人的审判转移到沙特阿拉伯

Turkey Moves Trial of Suspects in Khashoggi Killing¹ to Saudi Arabia

A court in Turkey ruled Thursday to suspend the trial of 26 Saudis accused of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. The case is being sent to Saudi Arabia raising fears that the suspects will not face punishment for the crime.

Khashoggi was a writer and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin² Salman. He was killed on October 2, 2018, at the Saudi Consulate³ in Istanbul. He had gone into the diplomatic offices to get documents required for his planned marriage to a Turkish woman. But he never left the building.

Turkish officials alleged⁴ that Khashoggi was killed and then cut into pieces inside the consulate by a team of Saudi agents. The group included security officers and individuals who worked for the crown prince. Khashoggi's body has not been found.

The Turkish court decided⁵ to send the trial to Saudi Arabia although human rights groups warn that the Saudis will cover up the killing. The decision also comes as Turkey is trying to reduce tensions between the two countries.

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancée who was waiting outside the consulate on October 2, said she was surprised and saddened by the decision, calling it "political." She told Reuters, "Saudi Arabia is a country where we know there is no justice. No one expects a just decision there."

Human rights supporters had also urged Turkey not to send the case to Saudi Arabia. They argued there would be no justice for Khashoggi in Saudi courts.

Emma Sinclair-Webb is the director for the New York-based Human Rights Watch for Turkey. She told The Associated Press that the decision "opens the way for other countries to commit assassinations⁶ on Turkish territory and get away with it."

The Saudi government did not immediately answer requests for comment.

At the time of the incident, Turkey had a sound recording⁷ of the actions inside the consulate and shared the evidence with the world.

In December 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said Turkey would not hand over evidence to the Saudis because they could destroy it. "They think the world is dumb. This nation isn't dumb and it knows how to hold people accountable," Erdogan said at the time.

A U.S. intelligence report released last year said Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the operation to kill or capture Khashoggi. But the Saudi government denied any involvement by the crown prince and rejected the report's findings.

Turkey started the trial in absentia against the 26 Saudi suspects, including two former aides of the prince in 2020. Saudi Arabia had rejected requests that they be sent out of the country to face trial.

Some of the men involved were put on trial hidden from the public in Riyadh. A Saudi court then sentenced five mid-level officials and individuals to 20-year prison terms.

At first, the Saudi court had ordered the death penalty. But it reduced the punishment after Khashoggi's son Salah, announced that he forgave the defendants⁸. Three others were sentenced to shorter jail terms.

Words in This Story

alleged –adj. accused of having done something wrong or illegal but not yet proven guilty

fiancée –n. a woman that a man is engaged to be married to

in absentia –adv. (legal) without being present

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

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 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

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 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。

6 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

7 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

8 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