2007年VOA标准英语-Guinea-Bissau Journalist Says Government Harras

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
05 September 2007

A prominent journalist in Guinea-Bissau says he has been harassed¹ by the government and military for his reporting on the drug trade. The International Federation² of Journalists is urging Guinea-Bissau's president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, to intervene to end the threats that have forced some journalists into hiding. Naomi Schwarz has the story from Dakar with additional reporting by Julie Vandal in Guinea-Bissau.

Alberto Dabo is a Guinea-Bissauan journalist. He has reported for the British news agency Reuters, as well as for a local radio station Bombolom FM, but recently one topic has proven dangerous for him.

Dabo says journalists in Guinea-Bissau are harassed when they report on the sensitive issue of drug trafficking. Dabo has reported on allegations that civil and military authorities in Guinea-Bissau are involved in the drug trade, allegations they deny.

Dabo says he began receiving death threats in June.

Recently, the journalist went into hiding briefly³, at United Nations headquarters in Guinea-Bissau, when the naval⁴ chief of staff, Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, became angry over an interview he gave to British television.  Dabo was the translator.

The report on ITN quoted the naval chief as admitting senior officers were involved in cocaine⁵ trafficking.

Dabo says several days after the foreign journalists left, Bubo Na Tchuto and his men came looking for him at his home and office.  He says friends advised him to hide at the United Nations.  

Dabo says he has been charged with libel, defamation⁶, violating state secrets, abusing press freedom, colluding with foreign journalists and defaming the chief of staff of the navy.

Dabo says he did nothing wrong.

The naval chief of staff, Bubo Na Tchuto, says his comments were taken out of context. He says he was misrepresented in the report.

The International Federation of Journalists says it believes the charges against Dabo are baseless. In a letter to Guinea-Bissau president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, the organization said it worries Dabo will not receive a fair trial.

The group says a second journalist, who investigated the drug trade for French media, fled the country after his home was ransacked⁷ and he was threatened.

The federation is urging President Vieira to stop the harassment⁸ of journalists and deliver a strong message that the government does not support the illegal drug trade.

1 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

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

5 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

6 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

7 ransacked   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
• The house had been ransacked of all that was worth anything. 屋子里所有值钱的东西都被抢去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。