VOA标准英语2009年-Libel Remains A Criminal Offense in Si

Supreme¹ Court upholds criminal libel act, says law poses no immediate² danger to journalists

Fid Thompson | Freetown 28 December 2009

Sierra Leone's Supreme Court recently threw out a case aiming to repeal³ the country's criminal libel law, under which journalists and others can be jailed for libelous⁴ statements.

Sierra Leonean law is clear.  Anyone who "maliciously⁵" publishes defamatory material could be put in jail for up to three years, whether or not what they have written is true.

As Britain announces it will review its famously flexible libel laws, Sierra Leone's Supreme Court recently upheld the country's criminal libel act, saying the law posed no immediate danger to journalists.

The Criminal and Seditious Libel Act criminalizes statements that create disaffection against the government or damage the government's reputation.

The act does not allow truth as a defense⁶, unless you can prove that publishing the truth is in the public interest.

Umaru Fofana heads Sierra Leone's Association for Journalists who brought the case to court. He says the act contradicts Sierra Leone's 1991 constitution that guarantees freedom of expression.

"We feel this a complete travesty⁷ of justice.  We feel it is not only a travesty of justice because truth does not hold sway there, but people should not be criminalized for exercising their basic right to freedom of expression," Fofana said.

He says criminalizing libel is pointless when there are functioning civil mechanisms⁸ to judge defamation⁹ and slander¹⁰ allegations.  He says the libel law is only used to gag journalists and repress independent and opposition¹¹ voices.

Sierra Leone's Independent Media Commission was set up in 2007 to promote a free and pluralistic media and to protect the public interest from abuse by media houses.

In an address in August, president Ernest Bai Koroma reassured¹² the commission of his government's commitment to enhancing freedom of the press.  A former insurance salesman, Koroma came to power two years ago with a reform agenda, promising¹³ to do away with what some have described as a "draconian¹⁴" libel law.

Sierra Leone's Information Minister, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, says the law needed to be reviewed.  But, Karbgo says, as soon as the case was brought to court, the matter was taken out of the government's hands.

"We are running a system of separation of powers.  Once a journalist took the government to court, it became sub judice and we could not discuss it anymore," Kargbo said.

Now the Supreme Court has ruled, Kargbo says the government will discuss the issue again with journalists.  The ministry¹⁵ of information is now focusing on putting together a Freedom of Information act.

For Fofana the balance has yet to be struck between freedom of expression and the right to reputation.  He says the journalists' association will continue to push for repeal of the law.

"We are now resorting to going to the office of the president and to members of parliament for a repeal of this law.  We are encouraging and appealing to the president to make real on his promise which he made during his campaign in 2006 that if he became president he was going to repeal this law," Fofana said.

He says this will be the association's biggest fight in 2010.  He says if libel remains¹⁶ a criminal offense¹⁷, then even a Freedom of Information law is futile¹⁸.  Journalists, he says, will come by information that is true, but will not publish it for fear of criminal proceedings¹⁹. 
 

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

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 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

4 libelous   

adj.败坏名誉的，诽谤性的

参考例句：

• No evidence has been found in the case so far and therefore it is probably a libelous suit.查无实据，恐怕是诬告。
• The book was libelous,so the publishers had to call in all copies of it from the bookshops.这是一本诽谤性的书，所以出版商必须把店里的书全收回去。

5 maliciously   

adv.有敌意地

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His enemies maliciously conspired to ruin him. 他的敌人恶毒地密谋搞垮他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。

8 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

10 slander   

n./v.诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• The article is a slander on ordinary working people.那篇文章是对普通劳动大众的诋毁。
• He threatened to go public with the slander.他威胁要把丑闻宣扬出去。

11 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。

12 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

14 draconian   

adj.严苛的；苛刻的；严酷的；龙一样的

参考例句：

• You can't expect the people to obey such draconian regulations.你不能指望人民服从如此严苛的规定。
• The city needs a draconian way of dealing with robbers.这个城市需要一个严苛的办法来对付强盗。

15 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。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

18 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

19 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼