VOA常速英语2008年-Turkey's Top Court to Hear Case to Ban Ruling P

By Dorian Jones
Istanbul
31 March 2008

The Turkish Constitutional Court has announced it will hear the closure case against the ruling AK Party. The case accuses the party of seeking to undermine the secular¹ state and includes a possible political ban of five years for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul on how Turkey is bracing² itself for months of political instability.

 

The Constitutional Court's decision to accept the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party, called the AK Party, was given in a short announcement by the deputy chairman of the court, Osman Paksut.

 

He says the court has decided³ to examine an indictment⁴ prepared by the prosecutor⁵ of the Supreme⁶ Court of Appeals on closure of the ruling Justice and Development Party. He adds the decision was unanimous.

 

Turkey's top prosecutor prepared a 162-page indictment accusing the AK Party of systematically⁷ undermining the secular state.

The central pillar of the case is the government's changing the constitution to ease a ban on religious headscarves in universities. The decision outraged⁸ supporters of the secular state.

Under the same case Prime Minister Erdogan and the President Abdullah Gul along with 69 other leading members of the AK Party are facing a political ban of five years if convicted.

The constitutional court has banned 18 parties since the 1982 constitution.

Political commentator⁹ Mehmet Ali Birand says Turkey is now in dangerous waters.

 

"There is a great risk. It is unbelievable. I could not believe it when I heard, but it is serious. Can they close the party down? When you look at the record of the court it is possible," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls the case an attack on democracy. Mr. Erdogan won last year's general election with a landslide¹⁰ victory.

The European Union has condemned¹¹ the case. EU enlargement commissioner¹² Oli Rehn, warned it could effect Turkey's membership bid. But supporters of the case say the AK's predecessor¹³, the Refah Party, was closed down on similar charges in 1998, a decision upheld by the European Court of Human Rights.

Political-columnist Nuray Mert says that ruling strengthen the hands of the prosecutor.

 

"They are referring quite often to the confirmation¹⁴ of the European court decision confirming the closure of the Refah Party, and they will come up with this argument," said Mert.

The case is expected to last months, threatening to paralyze the government.

The European Union is pressing Ankara to push through political and economic reforms.

Prime Minister Erdogan has indicated he may try to change the constitution to block the case, although opposition¹⁵ parties are opposing such a move. He does have enough votes to put the reform to a national referendum, but observers warn such a vote risks further polarizing the country and deepening the crisis.

1 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

2 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

3 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。

4 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

5 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。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

8 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

9 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

10 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

11 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

12 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

13 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

14 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

15 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。