2007年VOA标准英语-Journalists: Somali Army Should Recognize Media

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
21 March 2007

The National Union of Somali Journalists is calling for Somalia's transitional government to train its armed forces not to violate media freedom.  The call followed a national conference on media freedom and the arrest of a radio journalist and his driver.  Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

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Somali police forces patrolling amid heavy clashes between security forces and suspected Islamist insurgents in Mogadishu, 20 Feb 2007

The head of the Somali journalists' union, Omar Faruk Osman, tells VOA he believes that ministers and members of Somalia's transitional government themselves are sensitive about, and committed to, media freedom.

But he says the Somali armed forces, many of whom were former fighters in clan² and sub-clan-based militias³, do not understand media freedom and believe that journalists are spies or are out to cause trouble for the government.

"They are quite hostile to the journalists and media workers," he said.  "They are the ones who detain and arrest journalists indiscriminately.  They take them to detention⁴ centers or police stations and they hold them for hours and days and release them without charge."

Osman was reacting to the arrests of a journalist for a private station, Radio Shabelle, as he and his driver were on their way to a news conference being given by the prime minister.  A member of a force loyal to the transitional government reportedly beat the journalist.

Osman urges the government to train its troops on media freedom issues.

"Please, talk to or instruct your officers not to violate rights of journalists and to avoid doing such violations⁵ which are against press freedom, values and principles that the transitional government committed itself [to]," he added.

But the head of the Africa desk of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, Leonard Vincent, says the arrests follow a pattern that shows that the government is not committed to media freedom and feels threatened by Radio Shabelle and other media.

"As you know, Horn Afrik, Al-Jazeera, Radio Shabelle and Radio Koran are often seen by the government as more mouthpieces for the opposition⁶, rather than independent media or even media that have a different opinion," he explained.

The arrests follow a three-day national conference on media policy development held in the town of Baidoa.

The union says that the conference led to a blueprint⁷ for legislation in line with international standards that would guarantee freedom of expression and rights for the media in Somalia.

An 11-member team is charged with implementing⁸ the conference's key recommendations.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

3 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 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。

7 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

8 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句