VOA慢速英语2019 索马里政府的新闻记者人数创历史新高

Somali Government Detains Record Number of Journalists

A media organization in Somalia reported last week that Somali government forces beat and detained a record number of journalists last year. That information left some people wondering if the government is restricting investigation¹ of its security record before elections later this year.

索马里一家媒体组织上周报道说，索马里政府军去年殴打并拘留了创纪录数量的记者。这些信息使一些人怀疑政府在今年晚些时候的选举之前是否限制对其安全记录的调查。

For years, the militant² group al Shabaab was accused of targeting Somali journalists. The number of killings³ has decreased, although two journalists were among those killed in a bombing last year. Now media say they face a new danger: government forces.

多年来，好战组织青年党（Al Shabaab）被指控针对索马里记者。谋杀人数有所减少，尽管去年有2名新闻记者在一次爆炸中丧生。现在，媒体称他们面临着新的危险：政府军。

State security forces detained 38 journalists in Somalia in 2019. That information comes from Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, secretary general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate. He says most were detained while reporting on bombings or militant attacks. Some media workers were reporting on corruption⁴.

国家安全部队于2019年在索马里拘捕了38名新闻工作者。该消息来自索马里记者联合会秘书长Abdalle Ahmed Mumin。他说，大多数人是在报道爆炸或好战袭击事件时被拘留的。一些媒体工作者正在报道腐败。

"The government is not allowing journalists to report," Mumin said. Officials rarely report the number of victims from incidents like a recent truck bombing, which killed around 90 people.

穆敏说：“政府不允许记者报道。”官员们很少报告最近一次卡车炸弹爆炸等事件造成的受害者人数，该炸弹炸死了约90人。

Mumin's report says that in most cases, detained journalists are not charged and are released after hours or days.

Mumin的报告说，在大多数情况下，被拘留的记者没有受到起诉，数小时或数天后便被释放。

Last year, 37 journalists were beaten, shot at or threatened at gunpoint in Somalia, mostly by state security forces, the report said.

报告说，去年，有37名记者在索马里遭到枪杀，枪杀或威胁，主要是被国家安全部队殴打。

Somalia's police spokeswoman, the interior minister and information ministry⁵ spokesman did not answer requests for comment.

索马里警方发言人，内政部长和新闻部发言人均未回应置评请求。

Suppression of information

压制信息

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There is no public database of attacks and bombings in Somalia. The country's citizens usually hear about attacks through the media. However, while the size of bombings is increasing, journalists say news coverage⁶ is decreasing.

索马里没有关于袭击和爆炸的公共数据库。该国公民通常会通过媒体得知袭击事件。但是，尽管爆炸的规模在增加，但新闻记者说新闻报道在减少。

Farhan Mohamed Hussein is a reporter for Radio Kulmiye, a privately⁷ owned station. Hussein said he was arrested three times last year and twice the year before. Once police blindfolded⁸ him and beat him with their guns, he said. Another time, they destroyed his camera.

Farhan Mohamed Hussein是一家私人电台Kulmiye电台的记者。侯赛因说，他去年被捕了三次，前一年被捕了两次。他说，一旦警察蒙住他并用枪殴打他。还有一次，他们摧毁了他的相机。

Hussein added, "Many people see you as an enemy when they see you have a camera. Reporters are victims of the government which was supposed to work with them..."

侯赛因补充说：“许多人看到您拥有摄像头，就会把您视为敌人。记者是本该与他们合作的政府的受害者……”

He also said that journalists have been banned from parliament and ignored by spokesmen who only release official statements on social media.

他还说，新闻记者已被禁止进入议会，而被只在社交媒体上发表正式声明的发言人忽略。

Abdalle Ahmed Mumin confirmed the ban. He added that the upper legislature is considering a bill to further restrict media freedom.

Abdalle Ahmed Mumin确认了禁令。他补充说，上级立法机关正在考虑一项法案，以进一步限制媒体自由。

Nimco Mohamed Bashir is director of the privately owned Rajo Television Network. She said the government restricts reporting in a way that political killings never had.

尼姆科·穆罕默德·巴希尔（Nimco Mohamed Bashir）是私有Rajo电视网络的主管。她说，政府以政治杀人从未有过的方式限制报道。

Bashir said that government officials "openly tell you ‘no covering stories of blasts.'" After she reported news of one bombing on Facebook, she said, police came to her home to arrest her and threatened her family.

巴希尔说，政府官员“公开地告诉你'没有掩盖爆炸的故事。'”在她报道了在Facebook上发生一起爆炸事件的消息后，她说，警察来到她家逮捕她并威胁她的家人。

Aamin Ambulance is often the only source about deaths or injuries from militant attacks. Doctor Abdikadir Aden is the head of the privately run service. He told the Reuters news agency that in April, government officials asked the service to stop releasing numbers of dead and wounded. Aden noted⁹ that the government also tried to restrict emergency medical vehicles from explosion sites.

Aamin救护车通常是激进袭击造成的伤亡的唯一来源。 Abdikadir Aden医生是私人服务部门的负责人。他告诉路透社，4月份，政府官员要求该机构停止释放伤亡人数。亚丁指出，政府还试图限制爆炸现场的紧急医疗车辆。

Government officials did not answer Reuters' requests for comment.

政府官员没有回应路透社的置评请求。

Words in This Story

journalist -n. a member of the press; a reporter

allow – v. to permit something

blindfolded – adv. with the eyes covered by a piece of cloth

coverage – n. the activity of reporting about an event or subject in newspapers, on television news programs, etc.

database – n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer

(at) gunpoint – n. under a threat of death by being shot

1 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。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 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。

7 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

8 blindfolded   

v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗

参考例句：

• The hostages were tied up and blindfolded. 人质被捆绑起来并蒙上了眼睛。
• They were each blindfolded with big red handkerchiefs. 他们每个人的眼睛都被一块红色大手巾蒙住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。