美国国家公共电台 NPR As Government Ignores Court Order, Kenya's Media Blackout Continues

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Kenya is in the fourth day of a major crackdown on the opposition¹ and the media. It all comes after the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, declared himself president despite losing an election. The government responded by switching off news stations and arresting his associates. NPR's Eyder Peralta reports it is now also ignoring court orders to reverse course.

EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE²: The day here in Nairobi starts with an explosion and gunfire as police breach³ the wall of Miguna Miguna's house. The opposition lawyer had stood next to opposition leader Raila Odinga when he declared himself president. Yesterday, Miguna Miguna dared the government to make good on its promise and arrest him for a ceremony the government said was treason. Today the police pounced⁴. And as his supporters arrived, they fired tear gas to disperse⁵ them.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The power is with the people again.

(SOUNDBITE OF POPPING)

PERALTA: Across town, civil rights activist⁶ and lawyer Okiya Omtatah was trying to unravel⁷ another standoff. He sued the government over its decision to shut down three major news stations, and Kenya's high court issued an injunction. The government, they said, should turn on the stations immediately. But Omtatah was trying to deliver the order to the Communications Authority and a police officer stopped him at the gate. He says maybe Kenyans got complacent⁸. They were lulled⁹ by a constitution that's considered one of the most progressive on the continent. But Omtatah says the constitution is only as good as those who implement¹⁰ it, so it's time to go back to the trenches¹¹ and defend the gains.

OKIYA OMTATAH: So I think - so I crawled back through the trenches to protect the little gains we have made.

PERALTA: The government has remained quiet on this issue. They haven't put out statements and have ignored the high court order. President Uhuru Kenyatta did make a public appearance, but didn't allow for any questions.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA: (Foreign language spoken).

PERALTA: Instead he told reporters to pack and get out. Late this afternoon, a court also ordered Miguna Miguna to be released on bail¹². But his lawyers didn't know where he'd been taken, and the government wasn't being forthcoming. Okiya Omtatah spent the rest of his day notifying whomever he could find. He gave the order to the attorney general, to the ministers for interior and information, but the TV stations remained dark. Eyder Peralta, NPR News, Nairobi.

1 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。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

4 pounced   

v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击）

参考例句：

• As soon as I opened my mouth, the teacher pounced on me. 我一张嘴就被老师抓住呵斥了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police pounced upon the thief. 警察向小偷扑了过去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

8 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

9 lulled   

vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They lulled her into a false sense of security. 他们哄骗她，使她产生一种虚假的安全感。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. 火车轻微的震动催我进入梦乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

11 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

12 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。