国际新闻记者联盟呼吁支持津巴布韦记者

Appeal for Support of Zimbabwean Journalists

Roger Wilkison

Brussels

28 Aug 2001 16:47 UTC

A group of Zimbabwean journalists is 1)denouncing what it says is a 2)vendetta 1 by government authorities against the independent 3)media in Zimbabwe. The Brussels-based International Federation 2 of Journalists is appealing for international support to help counter the 4)crackdown.

The federation, which says it has 500,000 members in 106 countries, is 5)decrying what it calls a wave of persistent 3 attacks during the past few weeks against Zimbabwe's independent news organizations and a number of 6)prominent individual journalists.

The group's general secretary, Aidan White, says the campaign smacks 4 of 7)panic and what he calls a growing crisis within Zimbabwean government circles. "They're very sensitive to any form of criticism," Mr. White says, "and unfortunately, we see this as something of a vendetta in which the Zimbabwean authorities are trying to really blame journalists and independent media for their own political crisis."

Mr. White mentions the case of a reporter for the independent Financial Gazette, Basildon Peta, who was detained for questioning last week by Zimbabwean police. He is one of eight leading journalists who have been picked up by police recently and charged with 8)defamation of President Robert Mugabe or members of his government.

The International Federation of Journalists says reporters and editors have also been physically 5 attacked and 9)verbally 10)abused by senior government officials in Zimbabwe. Several foreign journalists have been 11)expelled from the country. The federation criticizes a threat by Vice 6 President Simon Muzenda to arrest critical journalists as "12)intimidation 7 of the worst kind."

Mr. White says his organization is calling for the widest possible international media solidarity 8, involving journalists' unions, editors and publishers, to deal with the crisis facing journalists in Zimbabwe. "We feel it's necessary to draw the attention of the international community to the crisis facing journalists," he said, "to highlight the fact that individual journalists are being targeted, and, by so doing, make it more difficult for the Zimbabwean authorities to move against them."

The International Federation of Journalists has pledged to provide practical support and assistance to journalists it says have been 13)victimized by the Mugabe government.

(1)      denounce[dI5naJns]vt.公开指责, 公然抨击, 谴责

(2)      vendetta[ven5detE]n.族间仇杀, 深仇

(3)      media[`mi:dIE]n.媒体

(4)      crackdown n.压迫, 镇压, 打击

(5)      decry[dI5kraI]v.谴责

(6)      prominent[5prRmInEnt]adj.卓越的, 显著的, 突出的

(7)      panic[`pAnIk]n.惊慌, 恐慌, 没有理由的

(8)      amate v.使挫折, 使懊恼

(9)      verbally[5v:bElI]adv.用言辞地, 口头地

(10)      abuse[E5bju:s]n. v.滥用, 虐待, 辱骂

(11)      expel[Ik5spel]v.驱逐, 开除, 排出, 发射

(12)      intimidation 胁迫

(13)      victimize[5vIktImaIz]v.牺牲