VOA标准英语2009年-Cross-Examination Begins in War Crimes Tri

By Scott Stearns
Dakar
10 November 2009

Prosecutors¹ at the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone have begun their cross-examination of former Liberian President Charles Taylor who is facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

 
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor in Hague court (file photo)
 
Mr. Taylor is the first witness in his defense² and has spent much of the last 13 weeks dismissing the prosecution³ case against him as a series of lies.

So Principal Trial Attorney Brenda Hollis opened her cross-examination by asking Mr. Taylor: Who is lying?

"Now Mr. Taylor, you have said to this bench throughout your direct examination that all of this evidence here before you, it's all lies. And you have talked about how perhaps, cunning is not the word you used. But Mr. Taylor, it's true isn't it that of all the people who have come before these judges, you are the one who has the most reason to lie," Hollis said.

"Well, counsel, I would disagree with you except you can point to me why would I have the most reason to lie? I have been truthful⁴ before this court. Unless you can point to me. I have told this court the truth. And I suggest that you point to me and present the evidentiary fact before this court for to suggest, as you are, that I am lying," Taylor said.

"Well, we will do that over the course of the cross-examination, Mr. Taylor, but of all the people who have come before this court, you are the one facing these serious charges. Isn't that correct?" Hollis asked.

Well, that is correct counsel," Taylor responded.

The former president is pleading not guilty to an 11-count indictment⁵ that includes murder, rape⁶, enslavement, and conscription of child soldiers.

Prosecutors say he led members of Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front across the border and acted as their effective leader for much of the country's 10-year civil war.

Mr. Taylor's lawyers maintain that any contact their client had with Sierra Leonean rebels ended before the jurisdiction⁷ of this court begins. They are also questioning the legality of Mr. Taylor being turned over to the court after he was granted political asylum⁸ in Nigeria.

Wrapping up his defense testimony⁹, Mr. Taylor said he agreed to step down as Liberian president in 2003 in the interest of peace but was tricked by the international community.

"This was about regime change, and everything was put into place to accomplish that regime change," Taylor said.

While he says African leaders repeatedly assured him that his going to Nigeria meant he would not be turned over to the Special Court, he says Washington and London were determined¹⁰ to see him stand trial.

If I had the slightest, slightest knowledge that the United States and the United Kingdom were arranging such, I would have never left Liberia. We have an old saying: A gift from a wicked man is a trap. I would have never left Liberia," Taylor said.

He says then-Nigerian-President Olusegun Obasanjo approved of his traveling overland to Chad in 2006. But when Mr. Taylor reached the border, he was arrested for violating the terms of his asylum by trying to travel outside Nigeria without permission.

"I don't care what happens, I hope I am alive to really look into Obasanjo's face one day and ask him to tell the world the truth about what happened. With me I am Jewish. I do not hold any animosity. But I tell Obasanjo today, and I am sure he knows it, that he lied to the world when he said that I was escaping and he knew nothing about it. Why he lied I don't know," Taylor said.

This is the last case before the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone. The Freetown session of that court has convicted the last of the Sierra Leonean rebels indicted¹¹. Mr. Taylor's trial was moved to The Hague because of concerns that his supporters might disrupt proceedings¹² held in West Africa.

1 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。

2 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。

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 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

5 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。

6 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。

7 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

8 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

9 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

12 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