英国卫报:绑架为何成了一门生意(7)（在线收听）

Meanwhile, decisions about which groups were designated as terrorists were often politically determined and sometimes arbitrary.

与此同时，往往由政府决定哪些组织为恐怖分子，这有时是武断的。

For example, a 2011 case, Masefield AG v Amlin Corporate Member, determined that the payment of ransom to Somali pirates was legal under British law.

例如，2011年的一宗案件，梅斯菲尔德公司起诉英国阿姆林保险，裁定结果是，根据英国法律，向索马里海盗支付赎金是合法的。

As a result, Somali pirates were presumed to be criminals rather than terrorists, even when ties to al-Shabaab militants were alleged.

因此，索马里海盗被认定为罪犯而不是恐怖分子，即使他们被指控与青年党激进分子有联系。

Meanwhile, it was illegal to pay ransom to a criminally oriented kidnapping cell in Nigeria

与此同时，在尼日利亚，如果犯罪绑架团伙被认为与博科圣地等受禁组织有联系，

if they were seen to have ties to proscribed groups such as Boko Haram.

那么，向他们支付赎金就是违法的。

In effect, the collision of disparate national policies and the insurance market

实际上，不同国家政策与保险市场存在的冲突

creates complexities that determine who lives and who dies in international kidnapping cases.

使情况变得错综复杂，这决定了国际绑架案件受害者的生死。

In 2008, a Canadian journalist, Amanda Lindhout, was kidnapped in Somalia, along with an Australian colleague, Nigel Brennan.

2008年，加拿大记者阿曼达·林浩特和澳大利亚同事奈杰尔·布伦南在索马里被绑架。

As young freelancers, they did not have insurance.

作为年轻的自由职业者，他们没有保险。

Officially, neither Canada nor Australia pay ransom.

依据法规，加拿大和澳大利亚都不能支付赎金。

Driven by desperation, their families found a way forward.

在绝望的驱使下，他们的家人找到了前进的道路。

The one factor in their favour was that the group that kidnapped the pair was a criminal and not a terror organisation.

对他们有利的一个因素是，绑架这两人的组织是一个犯罪组织，而不是一个恐怖组织。

Because they were not “terrorists,” the Canadian government entered into negotiations,

因为他们不是“恐怖分子”，加拿大政府就参与了谈判，

offering to build a school or provide development aid in exchange for Lindhout’s release.

为了使林浩特获释，他们愿意修建一所学校或者提供发展援助。

But the kidnappers wanted cash. They tortured Lindhout to put more pressure on her family, which had few resources.

但是绑架者想要的是现金。他们折磨林浩特，向她的财力有限的家人施压。

Realising that the negotiations were going nowhere, Lindhout’s mother, Lorinda Stewart, decided that the only hope was to pay a ransom.

林浩特的母亲罗琳达·斯图尔特发现谈判没有进展，她认为唯一的希望就是支付赎金。

Canadian officials warned Stewart that paying ransom was against the law and that she could be prosecuted for doing so, but she forged ahead.

加拿大官方警告斯图尔特，支付赎金是违反法律的，她这样做可能会被起诉，但是她还是向前迈进。