VOA标准英语2009年-Senate Panel Debates What to Do with Guant

The Senate Judiciary Committee has held a hearing on what to do with detainees at Guantanamo Bay when U.S. President Barack Obama closes the prison next January. Republican members of the committee argued the detainees should be tried in military commissions due to national security concerns. Democratic members of the panel argued that the detainees should be prosecuted¹ in U.S. civilian² federal courts, saying military commissions have been discredited³ in recent years.
　
A detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba being escorted by two U.S. soldiers (file photo)

After a House committee hearing on detainee issues last week, a Senate panel took up the fate Tuesday of the 219 detainees who remain at Guantanamo Bay.

Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona made clear he strongly prefers that detainees be tried under a military commission system, saying that trials in civilian U.S. courts pose a risk to national security. He said U.S. military commissons have proven themselves to be fair and effective.

"Military commissions have been used for over two centuries to bring justice to war criminals, and they have done so in a way that is fair to the accused," said Senator Kyl.

Senator Kyl also expressed concern that President Obama would either need to postpone⁴ his announced closing of Guantanamo, or bring a large number of detainees to the United States for trial.

"President Obama has issued an arbitrary deadline for closing Guantanamo by January 22, 2010, less than six months from now, but thus far, we know precious little about how he intends to do it," he said.

Assistant Attorney General David Kris told the panel a task force created by the president has already reviewed more than half of the cases of the remaining detainees, recommending more than 50 for transfer to other countries. He said the task force is on target to complete its review of all cases by October.

The Democrats⁵ on the Senate Judiciary Committee showed a strong preference for trying the remaining detainees in U.S. civilian federal courts. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois pointed⁶ to the low number of convictions by military commissions since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"For seven long years, the Bush administration failed to convict any of the terrorists who planned the 9/11 terrorist attack," said Senator Durbin. "And for seven long years, only three individuals, three, were convicted by military commissions at Guantanamo Bay."

Senator Durbin cited a study that says 145 terrorists have been convicted and sentenced in U.S. federal courts since the September 11 attacks.

The two top government lawyers at the hearing, Assistant Attorney General David Kris and the Defense⁷ Department's General Counsel Jeh Charles Johnson argued that both military commissions and civilian trials should be used to try Guantanamo detainees, with decisions on which system to choose made on a case by case basis for each defendant⁸.

1 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》。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

4 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 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。

8 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。