VOA常速英语2007-Amnesty International 'Spies' Released on Bail

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
09 October 2007

Two Amnesty International delegates and a local journalist arrested in Gambia Saturday have been released on bail¹. The human rights watchdog Amnesty International says their detention² demonstrates the deterioration³ of human rights in Gambia. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA West Africa bureau in Dakar.

London-based specialists Tania Bernath, who holds both British and U.S. citizenship⁴, and Nigerian Ayodele Ameen were in the tiny West African country researching human rights abuse.

Yaya Dampha, journalist with a pro-opposition⁵ daily paper, was arrested with them.

"It is tormenting⁶, tormenting. It was not a nice experience at all," said Yaya Dampha.

He says the group was arrested on suspicion of spying. He says they were detained after visiting a remote prison in Basse, on the southern border with Senegal.

Dampha says a key member of the Gambian opposition, Ousman Jatta, has been held in the prison for over a year.

"This station happened to be one of the most sensitive stations because we found out that there is a state detainee at this prison, so they believe we were there to check this state detainee," he said.

Gambian Police Force spokesperson Inspector⁷ Sulayman Secka says the three were detained because they had not received official permission to visit the prison.

"They should have applied⁸ through the inspector general of police for permission," said Secka.

He says it is too early to say what crime they are suspected of.

"Well it is too hard to say as far as the matter is still being investigated," added Secka.

One of the lawyers on the case, Lamin Camara, has told reporters that the three have not been charged because the police can give no concrete reason for their arrest.

Amnesty International spokesman Elizabeth Mottershaw says the delegates had been sent to Gambia because human rights abuse is rife⁹ in the country.

"Our main concern in Gambia is freedom of expression. A number of journalists have been harassed¹⁰ in their work, have been detained, some have been released without charge after a period of detention, some have not," she said.

Mottershaw says opposition politicians, likewise, are often detained for long periods of time.

She says without freedom of expression, the country is without human rights.

"Freedom of expression is really at the heart of human rights work. If people cannot talk about issues it really goes to the heart of being able to claim human rights," continued Mottershaw.

According to press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, Gambia's president Yahya Jammeh has become increasingly intolerant of criticism since taking power in a 1994 coup¹¹.

More than 10 journalists were arrested for extended period in 2006. One journalist, Chief Ebrima Manneh, disappeared over a year ago and has not been seen since.

1 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

2 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

4 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 tormenting   

使痛苦的，使苦恼的

参考例句：

• He took too much pleasure in tormenting an ugly monster called Caliban. 他喜欢一味捉弄一个名叫凯列班的丑妖怪。
• The children were scolded for tormenting animals. 孩子们因折磨动物而受到责骂。

7 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

8 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

9 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

10 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

11 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。