2007年VOA标准英语-Former Liberian President Taylor's Trial Delaye
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（单词翻译）
By Lauren ComiteauThe Hague
25 June 2007
The trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor resumed briefly1 Monday in the Hague, with the defendant2 once again boycotting3 the proceedings4. At issue is his defense5, which Taylor says is inadequate6. He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in orchestrating the brutal7 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone. Lauren Comiteau is covering the trial and has this report for VOA.
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| Charles Taylor (2006 file photo) |
He demanded top quality lawyers and high level investigators13 to match the resources he says the prosecutors have. He fired his last lawyer, saying he wanted to represent himself.
On Monday, the principal defender14, a court official responsible for defense issues, said Charles Taylor was willing to cooperate if his demands were met. Presiding judge Julia Sebutinde said Taylor was obliged to appear at his trial, but the visibly fed-up judge agreed that his defense was not given the highest priority, and she blamed that on the court officials.
She said she has been warning them for months about a potential delay. On Monday, the trial chamber's worst fears have been realized.
"Nothing practical seems to have been done to address the problems," she said. "The focus of the registry has not been to provide the defendant with adequate representation as provided by Article 17 of the statute15. Rather, the registry's focus has been on conserving16 funds and staying within budgetary constraints17. In the trial chamber's view, the whole issue has wrongly boiled down to availability of finances, rather than fair trial issues being addressed."
Judge Sebutinde said if the trial is to be expeditious18 and fair adequate money and resources must be provided for Taylor. She then ordered the registry to set up some kind of representation for him by next week. And by the end of the month, she said she wants to see a fully19 functioning defense team in place, including three lawyers and a senior investigator12.
The principal defender objected, saying there was not enough time, but the judge made it absolutely clear that in one-week's time, the prosecution's case will begin.
