VOA标准英语2008年-Gambian, Senegalese Journalists Describe Fear,

After recent attacks on newspaper offices in Senegal and ongoing¹ detentions² of journalists in Gambia, international attention is yet again being focused on the state of journalism³ in West Africa. Journalists in Gambia describe their daily fear of revenge and warn of a loss of media freedom in the region. Ricci Shryock has more from our regional bureau in Dakar.

The photos he chose to run in the newspaper were innocent thought Abdulhamid Adiamoh, the managing editor of Today, a daily newspaper in Gambia.

"We ran a story captioned⁴, children pick scrap⁵ metal-children dodge⁶ school to pick scrap metal, you know, in which we thought we were drawing attention to an issue to show some concern," said Abdulhamid Adiamoh.

But the day after the story ran, police called Adiamoh's office and told him to report to one of the local stations.

"To me, it was a very simple story," said Adiamoh. "It was innocent. We were not making any judgment⁷ nor assumption. But unfortunately police thought it was kind of embarrassing to the state, so that was actually what caused the trouble."

Since the story ran, Adiamoh says he has been told to report to the police station at least every other day. He is not alone. This week, as he was making his usual check-ins with authorities, another Gambian journalist, Fatou Jaw⁸ Manneh, was sentenced to either four years in jail or an almost $12,000 fine.

She wrote an opinion piece in 2005 that criticized Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and called him a bundle of terror. The government says she published false news that raises public alarm. During her trial, a prosecution⁹ witness told the judge that the contents of Manneh's article were false. Manneh's defense¹⁰ team called no witnesses. She was found guilty of sedition¹¹.

Colleagues at The Gambian Press Union and family members of journalist Mannneh raised the money so she could avoid jail time.

The president of The Gambian Press Union, Ndey Tapha Sosseh, says Manneh and Adiamoh's cases are examples of the ongoing intimidation¹² of journalists in the region.

"You can probably say some of them are in a state of fear, because the average journalist in The Gambia probably earns less than $100 a month, and for them to realize that if I commit a so-called offense¹³, I will be fined up to $10,000, it kinds of puts some fear into people and obviously will effect the output of their work," she said.

Sosseh says to push for more media freedom her organization is setting up a monitoring unit that will try to draw international attention to Gambian media struggles.

The country has the attention of the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders. The organization's Africa Head, Leonard Vincent, says the Gambian justice system is cracking down on reporters.

"We have been condemning¹⁴ what is going on in The Gambia with journalists for years now, and Fatou Jaw Manneh's case is just one more case of harassment¹⁵ and personal revenge of President Yahya Jammeh based on the police and the justice system of The Gambia, which is completely in his hands," he said.
　
Senator Richard Durbin (file photo)

Earlier this month, United States Senator Richard Durbin addressed the U.S. Congress about the case of another Gambian journalist. Durbin called for the Gambian government to release Chief Ebrima Manneh.

Manneh has been held incommunicado since July 2006.

Manneh was arrested at his office after he tried to re-publish a BBC article that questioned why the African Union was holding its summit in Gambia. In the report, the BBC pointed¹⁶ out the summit location went against the African Union's pledge to suspend governments that seize power.

The Gambian government denies they have Manneh in custody¹⁷.

Vincent adds that because of this environment, his organization tracks many journalists who flee Gambia.

"Every year we count dozens of arrests and also dozens of Gambian journalists fleeing the country and living in exile," said Vincent.

Many Gambian journalists and other Gambians, who are also fleeing persecution¹⁸ but have fewer means, end up in Senegal.

Senegal has long been considered to be better for journalists in the region, says Mohamed Keita, a New York-based African research associate for The Committee to Protect Journalists.

But Keita warns the country is at risk of losing that status, due to recent tensions between the media and ruling government party.

This week, he says, there were two attacks on newspaper offices in Dakar.

"Independent newspapers were attacked by unidentified men, and the journalists reported seeing a vehicle with government license¹⁹ plates, so we are particularly disturbed and alarmed by these reports, which would suggest that these were government-sponsored attacks, raids, against newsrooms," said Keita. "And essentially²⁰ the newspapers targeted are known for their critical coverage²¹ of the government."

Three days before the attacks, Senegal's Air Transport Minister, Farba Senghor, threatened retaliation²² against four Senegalese newspapers. Although two of those newspapers were the same ones attacked, Senghor has denied any involvement in the raids.

According to Keita, the fact that these acts often go unpunished means media outlets²³ are taking matters into their own hands.

"If the government itself is not interested in the protection of journalists," said Keita. "If top officials are out, threatening journalists, then it is left for journalists to really guarantee their own protection, and that's exactly what the editors of these newspapers and others have told us, that they will be hiring security to guarantee their own protection."

Keita adds the situation in Senegal is getting worse for journalists.

"Absolutely by all accounts it seems that the gloves are coming off," he said.

There are problems in many other countries of the region, and many journalists in jail, including in Niger, where Radio France International reporter Moussa Kaka has spent most of the year behind bars, for what the government says is an accusation²⁴ of treason with rebels, but he says was simply contacting them for his reporting.

 

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 detentions   

拘留( detention的名词复数 )； 扣押； 监禁； 放学后留校

参考例句：

• Teachers may assign detention tasks as they wish and some detentions have been actually dangerous. 老师可能随心所欲指派关禁闭的形式，有些禁闭事实上很危险。
• Intimidation, beatings and administrative detentions are often enough to prevent them from trying again. 恐吓，拷打和行政拘留足以阻止请愿者二次进京的脚步。

3 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 captioned   

a.标题项下的； 标题所说的

参考例句：

• This paper reviews the production, development and nationalization of the captioned materials. 本文就铜系合金引线框架材料的生产、发展和国产化进程作一论述。
• Please advise other considerable hotels for this captioned group. 请推荐其它一些高级的旅馆给这一群打标语的人。

5 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

6 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

9 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 sedition   

n.煽动叛乱

参考例句：

• Government officials charged him with sedition.政府官员指控他煽动人们造反。
• His denial of sedition was a denial of violence.他对煽动叛乱的否定又是对暴力的否定。

12 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

13 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

14 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 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。

16 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

17 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

18 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

19 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

20 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

21 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

22 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。