2007年VOA标准英语-Britain Pushes for Prosecution in Murder Case o

By Tom Rivers
London
22 May 2007

British prosecutors² say former Russian spy Andrei Lugovoi should be charged with the murder of one-time Russian intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London after being poisoned last year. For VOA, Tom Rivers reports from the British capital.

Based upon files compiled by Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism department, Britain's Crown Prosecution³ Service, or CPS, has recommended that a former Russian intelligence officer should face trial in the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Litvinenko was also a former member of the FSB, the successor to the KGB, and a strong critic of President Vladimir Putin. He was believed to have been poisoned with the radioactive isotope⁴ polonium-210 on November 1. He died in a London hospital three weeks later.

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Britain's Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald announces his decision in London, 22 May 2007

Chief prosecutor¹ Ken MacDonald says, after consultation⁷ with the government's Attorney General, he has decided⁸ to formally ask for a trial process to move forward.

"I have today concluded that the evidence sent to us by the police is sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Alexander Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning," he said. "I have further concluded that the prosecution of this case would clearly be in the public interest."

Since no extradition⁹ treaty exists between London and Moscow, it is hard to see how such a trial will ever take place. Regardless, MacDonald has instructed his team to proceed.

"I have instructed CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] lawyers to take immediate¹⁰ steps to seek the early extradition of Andrei Lugovoi from Russia to the United Kingdom so that he may be charged here with murder and brought swiftly before a court in London to be prosecuted¹¹ for this extraordinarily¹² grave crime," said MacDonald.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has told the Russian ambassador to London that she expects full compliance¹³.

But a source at the Russian Prosecutor General's office in Moscow says it would be against the Russian constitution to extradite a citizen to a foreign state and so Andrei Lugovoi will not be handed over.

For his part, Lugovoi has maintained he is innocent and has accused the British media of demonizing him.

1 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。

2 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。

3 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

4 isotope   

n.同位素

参考例句：

• The isotope ratio is directly used for comparing oils or gases.同位素比率直接用于比较各种石油或天然气。
• How to apply a radio isotope?如何运用放射性同位素？

5 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

7 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

8 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。

9 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

12 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

13 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。