VOA标准英语2010年-Pakistani Gunman Found Guilty for Role

India's Special Public prosecutor¹ Ujjwal Nikam, center, speaks to reporters as he holds a report following the verdict outside the special court set up for the trial of Pakistani Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, accused of being the sole surviving gunman in the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, 3 May 2010

In India, a court has convicted a Pakistani national for his role in the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.  He was the only gunman captured alive during the assaults, which strained ties between India and Pakistan.  Two Indians, also on trial in connection with the attacks, have been acquitted².

 

A year and a half after India's financial hub was devastated³ by terror attacks, a special court found Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 22, guilty of murder, waging war against India and other charges.

Kasab heard the judgment⁴ impassively.  He was one of 10 gunmen who arrived by sea and attacked Mumbai's main rail station, two five-star hotels, a restaurant and a Jewish center in November 2008.  The assaults lasted three days and claimed 166 lives.

Kasab is the only gunman who survived.  He was arrested on the first night of the attacks.  Footage from closed circuit cameras showed him armed with an AK 47 rifle at the rail station where scores of people died.

The sentence will be pronounced on Tuesday.  He could face the death penalty. 

Indian authorities say the attacks were orchestrated by the Pakistan-based militant⁵ group Lashkar-e-Taiba, of which Kasab is a member.  Islamabad has admitted that Kasab is a Pakistani citizen and that the attacks were partly plotted on its soil.

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Monday's verdict sent a clear signal to Pakistan.

"The judgment itself is a message to Pakistan that they should not export terror to India," he said.  "If they do, if the terrorists are apprehended⁶, we will be able to bring them to justice and give them exemplary punishment."

Citing lack of evidence, the court acquitted two Indians, Fahim Ansari and Sabaauddin Ahmed, who were on trial for conducting reconnaissance before the attacks.  The prosecution⁷ is likely to appeal the verdict.  

India charged 38 people in connection with the attacks, but most of them live in Pakistan. 

The trial has been concluded fairly quickly in a country where judicial⁸ proceedings⁹ can drag on for years.  The trial witnessed several twists and turns as Kasab first pleaded innocence¹⁰, then made a surprise confession¹¹, but later retracted¹² it.    

The Mumbai terror attacks were among the worst that India has suffered.  They prompted New Delhi to suspend peace talks with Pakistan, but both countries are now taking steps to normalize ties.

New Delhi has accused Islamabad of not doing enough to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice, and wants Pakistan to act against militants¹³ operating from its soil.

 

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 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

3 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

4 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 apprehended   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• She apprehended the complicated law very quickly. 她很快理解了复杂的法律。
• The police apprehended the criminal. 警察逮捕了罪犯。

7 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。

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 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

10 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

11 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

12 retracted   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供词，后来又翻供。
• A caddy retracted his statement. 一个球童收回了他的话。 来自辞典例句

13 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。