《中英對照讀新聞》Do not cut off my mike,Saddam pleads with judge 不要關掉我的麥克風，海珊懇求法官

◎張沛元

Saddam Hussein asked a judge trying him for genocide against Iraq’s ethnic Kurds in the 1980s not to cut off his microphone when he takes the stand.

被以在1980年代對伊拉克庫德族人進行種族屠殺罪名審判的薩達姆．海珊，要求一名審案法官，不要在他作證時關掉他的麥克風。

Saddam made his plea a day after Chief Judge Mohammed al-Ureybi switched off the toppled leader’s microphone and ejected him from the courtroom after he began a speech.

海珊作此要求的前一天，首席法官烏瑞比才因這名已遭推翻的領導人開始發表演說而關掉他的麥克風，並將他趕出法庭。

"When the accuser and prosecutor talk, the world listens. When the man called’ the accused’ speaks, you switch off the microphone. Is this fair?" an unusually subdued Saddam politely asked the judge.

「當原告與檢方說話時，全世界都傾聽。當那名被稱為『被告』的人說話時，你就關掉麥克風。這公平嗎？」難得順從的海珊有禮貌地詢問法官。

Ureybi, who has taken a hardline with Saddam and six other co-defendants, said he would not allow political speeches in his court. "The microphone issue is to bring order in the court. If you say anything within the law then you can complain," he said.

對海珊及另外6名共同被告採取強硬態度的烏瑞比說，他不允許在他的法庭上發表政治演說。「麥克風的事是要維持法庭的秩序。如果你說的在法律規範內，你大可抱怨，」他說。

新聞辭典

cut off：切掉；中斷（電話）通話。例句：We’d better call the power company to make sure we are cut off the supply of electricity.（我們最好打電話給電力公司，以確認我們斷電了。）

plead：動詞，以…為理由，答辯；懇求。如plead guilty （innocent） 認罪（辯稱無罪）。

take the stand：作證。stand 即 witness stand（法庭中的證人席）。類似片語 take a stand，表明立場。例句︰It seems likely that he will take the stand in his corruption trial next week in his own defense.（他看似將會在下週他的貪污審判中出庭作證，為自己辯護。）