VOA标准英语2009年-First Day of Karadzic Trial Ends

By Lauren Comiteau
The Hague
26 October 2009

 
View of empty seats where Radovan Karadzic's defense¹ team was supposed to sit at start of trial at War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, 26 Oct 2009 
Making good on his threat, former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic failed to appear in court for the opening of his trial on 11 counts of crimes against humanity and genocide, adjourning² the proceedings³ in a mere⁴ 20 minutes. 

Radovan Karadzic's failure to show up angered both judges and prosecutors⁶. Prosecutor⁵ Hildegard Uertz-Retzlaff accused Karadzic of manipulating the court, now that he has exhausted⁷ all the legal avenues to grant the extension he wants to prepare his case.

"He also says, as soon as I am prepared, I will be happy to inform the trial chamber⁸ and OTP [Office of the Prosecutor] a few weeks in advance. In other words, the trial can only start if the accused says it should," the prosecutor said.

She told judges they have two choices: either assign Karadzic a lawyer or let him continue to obstruct⁹ the proceedings. Judges said they will reconvene Tuesday to try and start the trial again and urged Karadzic to attend. But his legal advisors¹⁰ in Belgrade say he will not attend Tuesday's hearings until he is granted his several-month extension.

 
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is seen in the courtroom to enter pleas to 11 charges including genocide and crimes against humanity, in the Hague, Netherlands (File)
 
Even if he does not appear, judges could let prosecutors make their opening statement. But, if the judges decide to impose counsel on Karadzic and take away his plan to defend himself, there would likely be a delay in presenting evidence until a new lawyer had time to get up to speed. Karazdic says he will not accept a court appointed lawyer.

Meanwhile, dozens of war survivors¹¹ who had come to witness the start of the trial were disappointed at its quick conclusion. Kada Hotic is with the Movement of Mothers from Srerbrenica, where the 1995 massacre¹² of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys took place. Speaking through an interpreter, she says she is shocked, furious and disappointed at the morning's events.
 
"Do they realize people are waiting for justice?" Hotic asked. "This is our last and only hope to see a bit of justice."

The presiding judge read from a letter Karadzic sent to the trial chamber, last week. In it, he says he would never boycott¹³ his trial, that there must be a fair solution. The judge promised there would be one. But, he says, for that to happen, Karadzic must first appear in court.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 adjourning   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Before adjourning, councillors must stop procrastinating and revisit this controversial issue. 在休会之前，参议员必须停止拖延，重新讨论这个引起争议的问题。
• They decided upon adjourning the session. 他们决定休会。

3 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

4 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

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 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。

7 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

8 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

9 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

10 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

11 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

12 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

13 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。