2007年VOA标准英语-Kenyan Muslims Protest Abduction of Campaigner

By Malcolm Webb
Nairobi
27 August 2007

A Kenyan human rights group says a campaigner has disappeared in Nairobi, taken by people they suspect were Kenyan security agents. The lobby is planning to hold demonstrations¹ this week in response. For VOA, Malcolm Webb reports from Nairobi.

The Nairobi-based Muslim Human Rights Forum² is arranging street protests, following what they believe was the abduction of Farah Mohammed Abdullahi by Kenyan anti-terror police. Abdullahi was a vocal³ campaigner for the release of Kenyans held abroad for alleged⁴ terrorism links. The chairman of the forum, Al-Amin Kimathi, gave his account of what happened.

"Last Sunday but one, at about seven o'clock, as he was leaving the mosque⁵ in the Eastleigh section of Nairobi. He was confronted. Eyewitnesses⁶ say there were two gentlemen. To them they appeared quite friendly and later on he was put in a car, which they identified as one of the cars they suspected to belong the anti-terrorist police unit. From then on he has never been seen," he said.

Kimathi says the eyewitnesses have been advised by lawyers not to speak to the media because of fear for their safety. He says after nearly a week of extensive searching by Abdullahi's family, friends and the Forum, they concluded he had been taken by Kenyan authorities but the police have denied any involvement.

Abdullahi was known for his campaigning, in particular for the release of his younger brother, Abdi Mohammed Abdullahi, who was arrested by Kenyan police at the beginning of this year. Kimathi says Abdullahi had been in contact with Abdi, who said he had been take first to Mogadishu, and later imprisoned⁷ in Ethiopia.

Abdi was one of more than one-hundred-and-fifty people from at least eighteen countries, who were arrested near the border of Somalia, during the war between Somali Islamists and Ethiopian forces earlier this year. Some have since been released.

Human Rights groups say most of those arrested ended up in Ethiopian prisons, but Ethiopia has confirmed detaining only forty-one terror suspects.

Kimathi claims the Kenyan government is not pressing for the return of Kenyan detainees.

"We are seeing a pattern that is developing where the police act as if they are a law unto themselves, and the government does not even come to heed⁸ the cries to have the human rights and the legal rights of suspects adhered to," Kimanthi said.

VOA was unable to reach the Kenyan police for comment.

Human rights groups say Washington has a great deal of influence in the region, and say Kenya appears to have followed the clandestine⁹ U.S. practice of rendition, or transferring detainees to other countries.

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

6 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

7 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

8 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

9 clandestine   

adj.秘密的，暗中从事的

参考例句：

• She is the director of clandestine operations of the CIA.她是中央情报局秘密行动的负责人。
• The early Christians held clandestine meetings in caves.早期的基督徒在洞穴中秘密聚会。