2007年VOA标准英语-Sierra Leone Trials Frustrate Activists

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
04 May 2007

Proceedings² against a former rebel leader have resumed at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, even as the court's slow pace is frustrating³ human rights activists⁵. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Dakar.

Revolutionary United Front commander Issa Sesay took the stand Thursday, saying he had been recruited by the late Foday Sankoh, thinking he was getting a job in a restaurant in Burkina Faso.

He now fights against 18 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the devastating⁶ 1990s war, marked by the use and abuse of child soldiers and the mutilation of victims.

Security officer at the prison dock in Freetown

With him in the Freetown dock are two other former rebel leaders, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbow.

The trial started nearly three years ago.

Sankoh died while in custody⁷, but Special Court head prosecutor⁸ Stephen Rapp, says the case is still significant.

"We are dealing⁹ here in this case with people who were very important commanders according to the evidence that we presented of the RUF forces, very active in the command of that organization. Of course, for substantial periods of the war, Sankoh was in custody himself, so these were active leaders, according to our evidence," said Rapp. "It would be possible in this case for the story fundamentally to be told and for those who are living who were at the very senior ranks to be held responsible, if the judge so finds, based on the evidence that has been presented."

In addition to Sankoh, a main militia¹⁰ leader also died in custody, another rebel leader was killed before he was caught, while another infamous¹¹ indictee¹², a former junta¹³ leader, is at large.

Sesay said Thursday allegations against him are rumor¹⁴ and folklore¹⁵.

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, initially¹⁶ given exile in Nigeria but then arrested, is due go on trial next month. His trial was moved from Freetown to The Hague, due to security reasons.

London-based African human rights activist⁴ Ibrahima Kane laments¹⁷ the fact the cases have dragged on, that Taylor is being tried outside West Africa, and that there are so few indictees.

"A lot of money has been spent to try to deal with one of the biggest atrocities¹⁸ that Africa apart from the genocide in Rwanda has faced, but up to now there is nothing that has been done to show that we are really trying to sort out the problem in the country. Nothing. Nothing," said Kane. "Have you seen any important trial? Nothing, nothings has been done."

Kane believes West Africa should not let this historic opportunity pass.

"We cannot continue to just sit down and look at this tribunal failing to really prosecute¹⁹ and to really do its work. It is really important that if we create an institution to deal with an important problem like the atrocities committed in Sierra Leone in the 1990s, we have to make sure that justice is done," he said. "If justice is not done, all these commissions, truth and reconciliation²⁰ commissions, will be rubbish. Because people will think that as far as these people are still there, they may escape one day and start again what they only know, it is killing²¹, it is abducting²², it is raping²³, it is doing all these atrocities and today nothing has been done to change that reality."

Officials in Freetown invariably remind critics the Special Court's mandate²⁴ is to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for crimes committed in Sierra Leone after late 1996. They say that is being done with those caught and alive at the fastest possible speed, given the complexities²⁵ of the court's set-up, problems with staff and funding.

Head prosecutor Rapp says many notable developments should actually take place in the weeks ahead.

"We are busy in Freetown for this case. We anticipate for this month or next month to have judgments²⁶ in our two other big cases that we have tried over the course of a couple of years here in Freetown," he said. "So we will have those judgments and then if there are convictions then there will have to be sentencing proceedings and also presumably the appeals. So things will get very busy in Freetown at the same that we are proceeding¹ with the Charles Taylor trial scheduled to commence in the Hague on the fourth of June."

Court officials say they will try to make the Charles Taylor case as media accessible as possible to people in Sierra Leone, even if it will take place in Europe.

What is called a pre-trial conference is scheduled to take place Monday in Freetown and may continue into Tuesday.

1 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

2 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

3 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

8 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。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

12 indictee   

被告

参考例句：

13 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

14 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

15 folklore   

n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

16 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

17 laments   

n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside. 在那首诗里他对乡村遭到的破坏流露出悲哀。
• In this book he laments the slight interest shown in his writings. 在该书中他慨叹人们对他的著作兴趣微弱。 来自辞典例句

18 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

20 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

21 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。

22 abducting   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的现在分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• She was charged with abducting a six-month-old child. 她被控诱拐一个6个月大的孩子。
• At the same time, the rate of abducting foreigners is going down. 同时，发生在外国人身上的绑架案正在下降。

23 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

24 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

25 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

26 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。