2006年VOA标准英语-Ugandan Presidential Candidate Acquitted o

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
07 March 2006

An opposition¹ politician who ran for president in Uganda's recent elections was found not guilty of rape² Tuesday. The main contender to the country's president still faces several other charges that many say are politically motivated.

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Kiiza Besigye talks on the phone, after he was acquitted³ of rape charges at High Court in Kampala 
  

High Court Judge John Bosco Katutsi told the courtroom that prosecutors⁴ "dismally⁵ failed" to prove that politician Kizza Besigye attacked a family friend many years ago.

One of Besigye's lawyers, Sam Njuba, tells VOA the judge said that the case should never have been brought to court in the first place, and says Besigye plans to pursue legal action on the matter.

According to Njuba, the rape allegations and other charges levied⁶ against Besigye may have turned voters against him.

"Some people were not so sure," he said. "They were saying, how can we vote for him when he's in court? Yes, that must have affected⁷ him. If judgment⁸ had come earlier, of course it would have been much better."
 

President Yoweri Museveni at campaign rally   
  
Besigye was widely seen to be the leading contender against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in the country's February 23 elections. President Museveni captured 59 percent of the vote, while Besigye took 37 percent.

Although Besigye was cleared of rape, he still faces other charges, both in High Court and potentially in a military court.

Besigye, who heads the Forum⁹ for Democratic Change party, also ran against President Museveni in the 2001 elections.

The opposition politician returned to Uganda last October after more than four years in exile, only to be arrested the following month and charged with rape and treason in High Court and terrorism and illegal possession of firearms in military court. He was jailed throughout most of the campaign period.

It is widely believed that the charges were politically motivated, designed to prevent Besigye from campaigning fully¹⁰ and to ruin his reputation.

Besigye and 22 others are scheduled to face a treason trial in High Court on March 15. They are accused of supporting a rebel group to try to overthrow¹¹ the government. They could also face terrorism charges in military court.

Meanwhile, Besigye is challenging the results of the recent elections.

Lawyer Njuba says that the party thinks a sizable number of voters were prevented from voting because of electoral fraud committed by the ruling party.

"We think about 34 percent of the population did not vote because they made it impossible to vote - vote rigging, extensive bribery¹², also electoral offenses," he said.

For its part, the winning party accuses Besigye and his supporters of being sore losers.

1 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。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 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。

4 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。

5 dismally   

adv.阴暗地，沉闷地

参考例句：

• Fei Little Beard assented dismally. 费小胡子哭丧着脸回答。 来自子夜部分
• He began to howl dismally. 它就凄凉地吠叫起来。 来自辞典例句

6 levied   

征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• Taxes should be levied more on the rich than on the poor. 向富人征收的税应该比穷人的多。
• Heavy fines were levied on motoring offenders. 违规驾车者会遭到重罚。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

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 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

12 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。