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VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-02-12 A Turkish Law Raises Questions About Government and the Internet 法律人士质疑土耳其政府对互联网的管制

时间:2014-02-26 14:16:45

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AS IT IS 2014-02-12 A Turkish Law Raises Questions About Government and the Internet 法律人士质疑土耳其政府对互联网的管制

Welcome to the VOA Learning English program, As It Is!  I’m Mario Ritter in Washington.  Today we explore the issue of freedom of the Internet.  First, we turn to Turkey and a new law that critics say gives the government too much control of the Internet.  Later in the program, we hear how the Committee to Protect Journalists has added cyberspace1 to its list of places where media freedom is at risk.

The committee’s new media freedom report and Turkey’s Internet law are next on As It Is.

Two Views of Turkey's New Internet Law

Opposition2 parties in Turkey have called on President Abdullah Gul to veto new government controls on the Internet.  The Turkish parliament approved a bill to set up the new restrictions3 last week.  The measure has raised concerns in many countries about freedoms and rights in Turkey.  Christopher Cruise has more on the story.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul is under pressure to veto the bill.  It gives the government the power to block websites without a court order.  The legislation also gives the government the ability to examine user information for up to two years.

The leader of the main opposition party called on the president to take a “position on democracy and veto the law.”

International pressure is growing.  Emma Sinclair Webb is a researcher at Human Rights Watch.  She says the group is calling on the president to take action.

“We are calling for the president to veto the new law. It has passed through parliament very quickly without consultation4, without sufficient expert input5.”

Both the European Union and the Council of Europe have called for the measure to be withdrawn6.

Saturday night, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a large protest against the Internet legislation.  Turkey’s main business alliance also has called for the law’s cancellation7.

Last month, President Gul noted8 the importance of freedom of the Internet, especially social media.  However, he is also a founding member of the ruling AK Party.

Kadri Gursel writes about diplomatic issues for a Turkish newspaper and a website.  He says the president is attempting a political balancing act with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“[Mr.] Gul has positioned already himself as the natural alternative to [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan from within the Islamist conservative political movement.”

Speaking in Istanbul recently, Prime Minister Erdogan strongly defended the new Internet law and denounced its critics.  He said the new rules do not establish any controls on the Internet, but make it safer and freer instead.  He said those protesting against the law were part of, what he called, the “pornography lobby.”                  

He also repeated a warning to the country’s business leaders by saying they will face investigations9 by tax officials.

Cengiz Aktar of the Istanbul Policy Forum10 is a political scientist.  He says President Gul is facing a major decision.

“This will be a real yardstick11 about his intentions—whether he will challenge now Prime Minister Erdogan or not.”

Even if the president vetoes the bill, he would be required to sign it into law if the government passed it a second time without changes. But observers say such a veto would likely increase opposition to the legislation.  I’m Christopher Cruise.

The Committee to Protect Journalists Now Follows Risks in Cyberspace

The Committee to Protect Journalists has begun to measure press freedom on the Internet.  The committee recently added the Internet as a category, or grouping, on its yearly risk list.  The list identifies places where press freedoms are decreasing. Steve Ember has VOA’s report.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says violence and repression12 continue to threaten the work of reporters around the world.  But it says laws governing the Internet and information-gathering programs are also starting to affect the flow of information.

The list of countries with the biggest drop in media freedom includes Egypt, Bangladesh, Syria, Ecuador and Liberia.  Zambia, Russia, Vietnam and Turkey were also named. 

Geoffrey King works for the Committee to Protect Journalists.  He says Turkish officials have taken strong actions against reporters.

“Turkey is the leading jailer of journalists in the world.  People have been shot with less-lethal rounds and tear-gassed around and sprayed with high-pressure water cannon13 in the streets in protest of this bill.”

Geoffrey King says new amendments14 to Turkey’s Internet law will make the situation worse.  He says the legislation would make it much easier for the government to block websites, sometimes without a court order.

 

Turkish officials have answered the CPJ report.  They told VOA the amendments were made to improve the law.  They said Parliament wanted to balance freedom of expression, individual rights and protection of privacy.

The media rights group says five reporters have been killed in Egypt since the military seized power last year.  It says 30 more reporters have been attacked, and 11 news organizations raided.  And Egyptian officials recently detained 20 reporters, including four from Al Jazeera television.  

Reporter Anna Therese Day says she left Egypt because it is not safe.  She told VOA on Skype that Egypt is now very different from what it was during the revolution.

“I worked there freely.  I worked by myself.  I worked with short sleeves on; I didn’t cover my hair most of the time.  Now, that would be unheard of for someone that looks like me.”

Wars are still the biggest threat to reporters’ lives.  But Geoffrey King of the CPJ warns that efforts by governments to watch what reporters are doing could become more damaging to their work.

“Not just targeted surveillance of individual suspects but mass surveillance across societies in many countries.  That’s why it’s cyberspace and not one particular country being named.  And so different countries do it with varying levels of rule of law and due process but it’s quickly becoming very easy for governments to spy on their critics.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists says reports about intelligence-gathering programs by the United States could hurt newsgathering efforts.  It says such programs may frighten away possible news sources.  The group says these individuals need to be protected against legal or other action.  I’m Steve Ember.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 cyberspace YvfzLi     
n.虚拟信息空间,网络空间,计算机化世界
参考例句:
  • She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
  • The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。
2 opposition eIUxU     
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。
3 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
4 consultation VZAyq     
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议
参考例句:
  • The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
  • The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。
5 input X6lxm     
n.输入(物);投入;vt.把(数据等)输入计算机
参考例句:
  • I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
  • All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。
6 withdrawn eeczDJ     
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出
参考例句:
  • Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
  • All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。
7 cancellation BxNzQO     
n.删除,取消
参考例句:
  • Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大,可能须要取消渡轮服务。
  • Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。
8 noted 5n4zXc     
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。
9 investigations 02de25420938593f7db7bd4052010b32     
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究
参考例句:
  • His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查,但没有发现什么。
  • He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。
10 forum cilx0     
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。
11 yardstick oMEzM     
n.计算标准,尺度;评价标准
参考例句:
  • This is a yardstick for measuring whether a person is really progressive.这是衡量一个人是否真正进步的标准。
  • She was a yardstick against which I could measure my achievements.她是一个我可以用来衡量我的成就的准绳。
12 repression zVyxX     
n.镇压,抑制,抑压
参考例句:
  • The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
  • This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。
13 cannon 3T8yc     
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮
参考例句:
  • The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
  • The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。
14 amendments 39576081718792f25ceae20f3bb99b43     
(法律、文件的)改动( amendment的名词复数 ); 修正案; 修改; (美国宪法的)修正案
参考例句:
  • The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
  • Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

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