VOA常速英语2007年-UN Marks Human Rights Day With Focus on Persecu

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
10 December 2007

The United Nations marked the anniversary of the adoption¹ of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Nairobi by highlighting the persecution² of journalists in Somalia. Derek Kilner has more for VOA from Nairobi.

A panel of U.N. officials and human rights advocates addressed an audience in the Kenyan capital, where numerous Somali journalists have fled in the past year.

Eight journalists have been killed in Somalia this year. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, only Iraq is more dangerous for journalists.

Since January, Ethiopian troops backing the transitional Somali government have been facing an increasingly violent Islamist-led insurgency³ in the capital Mogadishu. The fighting has displaced more than one million people, including 600,000 in the capital.

The speakers at Monday's event emphasized that Somalia's journalists are facing threats from all parties in the conflict, though the transitional government and its Ethiopian backers often received the most criticism.

"All sides in the conflict qualify as fierce enemies of the media, and they do not tolerate independent reporting, detailed⁴ examination and criticism of their activities and performance," said Omar Faruk, Secretary General of the National Union of Somali Journalists. "These desperate groups wanted to manipulate media and to shape public opinion and when the media resists, they commit these crimes."

Over the weekend, Somalia's parliament approved a new law regulating the media. Faruk was hopeful that the new legislation would provide increased protection for journalists, but said that his organization had not yet seen the law.

The East Africa campaigner for Amnesty International, Dave Copeman, said the organization has catalogued a number of abuses by government and insurgents⁵ that will be included in an upcoming report on conditions for Journalists in Somalia.

"Journalists in Somalia have told Amnesty International they face death threats on an almost daily basis, particularly when they are reporting on conflict or military operations or if they mention casualties that have been suffered by either side to the conflict," said Copeman. "Many receive threats from individuals who identified themselves as officers of the National Security Agency of the Transitional Federal Government demanding to know why they had spoken about particular incidents of conflict or military operations, and threatening them with enforced disappearances⁶ or arrest if these stories remained on the web."

Private radio stations, the most popular source of news in Somalia, have borne the brunt of attacks and have repeatedly been closed by the government. In the most recent episode, three major stations were shut in mid-November, before being allowed to resume broadcasting last week.

Several of the speakers also expressed concern with a threat by the government of Somaliland to expel 24 journalists that have been seeking refuge in the breakaway republic of Somaliland, after fleeing Mogadishu.

The event marked the beginning of a year-long U.N. effort to commemorate⁷ the 60th anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

1 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

2 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。

3 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

5 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

6 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

7 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。