2007年VOA标准英语-Media Watchdog Criticizes Detentions of Press P

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
15 September 2007

A journalist and a government press officer are being detained in the tiny West African country Gambia, despite a court order releasing them on bail¹. The media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, has called for their immediate² and unconditional³ release saying President Yahya Jammeh, who has often cracked down on media in the country, is acting⁴ above the law. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA West Africa bureau in Dakar.

Malick Jones, producer of a state-owned television and radio service and presidential press officer Mam Sait Ceesay have been charged with harming the security of the state by giving "false information" to a foreign journalist. They have both pleaded not guilty.

The two were first released on bail and then were re-arrested as they walked away from the court.

The media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, says sources in Gambia say the men were arrested for telling a pro-government newspaper that the press director for President Yahya Jammeh was fired. The information turned out to be wrong.

Reporters Without Borders spokesman Vincent Brossel says imprisoning⁵ the men is a denial of justice.

"We found very shocking that these two persons are detained," he said.  "I think it is a matter of principle that people cannot be put in jail just for these types of non-criminal offenses⁶. So let us give a chance to these people to defend themselves in court and not put them in jail."

Local journalists have reported that the prosecutor⁷ claims the two men cannot be released from jail because they may interfere⁸ with the investigation⁹, which he says is intensive and involves Gambia and countries abroad.

Demba Jawo was news editor of a daily paper in Gambia until he was fired in 1999 for, he says, publishing articles critical of the government.

He says the arrest of journalists has become routine in Gambia. He says the case shows that the government's paranoia¹⁰ is turning on those who work for the state.

"The government has hounded out all the critical journalists of the private press so they have now to turn on their own people," he said.

He says the constitution in Gambia supports press freedom, but the government works outside the law.  He says anyone who criticizes the government is punished.

"Anybody who wants to criticize them in any way, you are definitely regarded as an enemy of the government or even of the country, so they will find ways and means of getting rid of you in one way or the other," he added.

The U.S. press freedom organization The Committee to Protect Journalists has named Gambia among five countries where press freedom has deteriorated¹¹ the most in the last five years.

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 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 imprisoning   

v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Afwerki may disgust his compatriots by torturing and imprisoning his critics. Afwerki总统拷打和监禁他的反对者已经使的国人生厌。 来自互联网
• Proud and intelligent, it takes great pleasure and imprisoning enemies through psionic exploitation. 它骄傲并狡猾，非常喜欢囚禁敌人并剥夺他们的智力。 来自互联网

6 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 paranoia   

n.妄想狂，偏执狂；多疑症

参考例句：

• Her passion for cleanliness borders on paranoia.她的洁癖近乎偏执。
• The push for reform is also motivated by political paranoia.竞选的改革运动也受到政治偏执狂症的推动。

11 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。