IFJ Press Freedom In China Campaign Bulletin

IFJ Press Freedom In China Campaign Bulletin

July 9, 2013

To IFJ Asia-Pacific affiliates and friends,

Welcome to IFJ Asia-Pacific’s monthly Press Freedom in China Campaign e-bulletin. The next bulletin will be sent on August 8 2013, and contributions are most welcome. To contribute news or information, email ifj@ifj-asia.org. To visit the IFJ’s China Campaign page, go to www.ifj.org.

Please distribute this bulletin widely among colleagues in the media.

1) Former New York Times photographer Du Bin charged with provocation and disturbing public order
2) IFJ condemns law enforcement officers in Changsha after assaults on journalists
3) IFJ urges France and Thailand to investigate China’s diplomats over harassment of French journalist    
4) Media clampdown after series of attacks in Xinjiang
5) Positive spin on money moves
6) Mainland journalist found dead
7) IFJ urges a transparent and fair trial for veteran journalist
8) IFJ condemns recent series of attacks against Hong Kong’s Next Media Group
9) IFJ Congress urges Taiwan Government to pass legislation to protect pluralism
10) A Bad Year for Press Freedom in Hong Kong - Press release for 2013 HKJA Annual Report Released

1) Former New York Times photographer Du Bin charged with provocation and disturbing public order

Former New York Times photographer Du Bin, has been detained by Beijing police since May 31, accused of provocation and disturbing public order, however police have failed to provide any proof. Du’s defence lawyer Pu Zhiqiang said the allegation was unjust because Du had remained in his apartment without leaving for a long time before he was detained. Pu said police actually focussed their questions on Du’s overseas publications rather than accusing him of disturbing public order. Du, 41, denies the accusations. Du was arrested on the night of 31 May after the publication of his most recent book “Tiananmen Square Massacre”. His home was ransacked and police seized his computer and books. Du was granted bail on 8 July.

2) IFJ condemns law enforcement officers in Changsha assault journalists

Journalists Ding Senxing and Cao Zongping of Tencent Online Media were assaulted and illegally detained by a dozen police officers in Yuelu District, Changsha , Hunan when they investigated an illegal land eviction on June 28. According to a report by ChinaAid, the pair were assaulted and taken away by security bureau and judicial police when they refused to stop taking photos. Ding complained of a subsequent assault when he was taken into a car by police. Bruises were found on their legs and necks.    

3) IFJ urges France and Thailand to investigate China’s diplomats over harassment of French journalist  

According to Radio Free Asia, Pierre Vaireaux, a journalist for France 24, was harassed by China’s diplomats in France and Thailand after he aired a documentary about Tibet on May 30. The report said China’s embassy in Paris called the station’s chief executive and demanded the program be removed from its website claiming the report was “inaccurate”. Upon learning Vaireaux was in Bangkok, China’s consul there was informed and asked to call him and seek for a meeting at the Embassy. When Vaireaux refused to attend, he received several anonymous phone calls and messages. On June 10, Vaireaux said he received a warning from the consul over attempt to seek a visa to visit Lhasa, Tibet. The IFJ believes China’s reaction is totally unacceptable and equates to a threat against the media. “It is the responsibility of the Chinese authorities to review visa-issuing procedure if they think there is any improper activity rather harassing journalists or media outlets. Chinese authorities are attempt to turn foreign media into propaganda tools for their own ends,” The IFJ said. The IFJ urges Francois Hollande, President of France and Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, to investigate the harassment and seek assurances that Chinese diplomatic staff will operate with restraint and cease any harassment in future..

4) Media clampdown after series of attacks in Xinjiang

In the lead-up to the fourth anniversary of ethnic violence in Xinjiang, a series of incidents began on June 26 although the exact number of casualties and the cause of the series of incidents have not been publicly acknowledged in China’s media. According to various Xinjiang newspaper reports, the Xinjiang government labelled the incidents as “terrorist attacks” without offering evidence. The incidents went unreported except in the English language edition of Xinhua. When that report was re-published by Tencent and Sina online, it was immediately deleted. According to the BBC and AFP, journalists have been prevented from entering the affected areas and police have also confiscated cameras.

The first attack occurred in Lukqun township, Shanshan County, Turpan Prefecture City, where it was reported 35 people were killed. Two days later, a separate second attack was reported in Hanerik township in Hotan County and Karakax County (Moyu County). According to a Global Times report, 100 Uyghurs attacked a police station after “gathering at local religious venues”, leading to several casualties, however the report did not specify the cause of the attack. According to a Radio Free Asia report, the attack was provoked when a local imam was forced to keep his sermons “in line with political thinking” which led to the local mosque being raided by police triggered a protest by hundreds of Uyghurs on the street. It was reported that many civilians and policemen were subsequently killed and injured. Another incident occurred in Saimachang, Tianshan District, Urumqi. According to the Global Times report, 200 people “attempted to incite trouble” but no explanation was disclosed about the cause of the incident.

Various overseas media outlets report the Xinjiang Government has started to arrest and interrogate hundreds of Uyghur people after the attacks. According to the Xinjiang Government’s portal Tianshan.net 26 people have been punished by the security bureau in Changji City for allegedly “spreading rumours”. They were punished with an unspecified period of detention.

During the unrest, social media sites including QQ, We Chat and Weibo have come under scrutiny by the security bureau. Paramilitary forces and police are patrolling the streets and school areas around the clock. The IFJ believes the Central Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China heavy-handed actions deprive the people of their right to know and their access to information – both rights are enshrined in Chinese legislation.

5) Positive spin on money moves

According to a Financial Times report on July 2, an order was issued by Central Propaganda Department after the Central Bank of China vowed to support cash-strapped banks with direct injections of money. Subsequently the Chinese stock market lost more than 10 per cent in a day and a half of trading. The directive was said to have been issued at the end of June. The media was ordered by the Department not to make a fuss about the monetary policy and, instead, report positively that the markets had been guaranteed to have sufficient liquidity, and that China’s monetary policy was steady – all these reports were in order to positively guide public opinion.

6) Mainland journalist found dead

Liu Qi, a journalist for Chengdu Commercial Daily, was discovered dead on the night of June 22 arousing suspicions over how he died. According to various newspaper reports and information from bloggers, Liu, 27, fell from his second-storey hotel room after attending a wedding and banquet in his home town of Guang’an City, Sichuan. Lie was engaged to be married. The IFJ extends its deepest sympathy to Liu’s family and friends and and urges Guang’an police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death.

7) IFJ urges a transparent and fair trial for veteran journalist

Hu Yazhu, a veteran journalist of Nanfang Daily (Southern Daily), an official newspaper of the Guangdong Communist Party, was charged with accepting bribery from the Pocuratorate of Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province on June 24. Although the official statement claimed Hu admitted to the allegation, he subsequently denied the accusation in a statement sent out through his friends. In the statement, he claimed he was set-up, accusing his former publisher at the newspaper, who is a member of an alliance of local powerful individuals and Government officials. Hu had written five investigative stories that revealed malpractice among local officials but only one of the named five stories was ever published. Hu said he was warned by people not to talk about his case, and fellow journalists have been warned not to speak about Hu’s case. The IFJ is concerned about Hu’s allegations and insists that Shaoguan’s judiciary conducts an open and just criminal trial. The IFJ also urges the All Chinese Journalists Association and media outlets attend the hearing to ensure proper judicial procedures are followed.

8) IFJ condemns series attack against Hong Kong’s Next Media Group

The IFJ condemns four attacks against Hong Kong’s Next Media Group. The incidents began on June 19 when a stolen car rammed into the front gate of the home of Jimmy Lai, the chairman of Next Media- a listed company. A machete and a hatchet were left at the scene in Ho Man Tin, Kowloon. A week later, on June 26, two men set fire to newspapers at Hung Hom after threatening delivery workers. On June 29 a long knife was left outside the building in Tai Po, New Territories. The same evening, three masked men threatened two delivery workers and set fire to newspapers in Central. Speaking to Commercial Radio of Hong Kong on June 28, Lai believed the attacks were due to the newspapers group’s support for the July 1 rally demanding democracy in Hong Kong. The IFJ Asia Pacific Office said: “The frequency and violence of these attacks targeting a media outlet with a strong profile supporting democracy demonstrates that press freedom and freedom of expression in Hong Kong is under threat. Violence is one way to silence democratic voices in a society. The Hong Kong Government must act swiftly and responsibly to ensure justice. It must condemn these acts of violence to protect press freedom which is one of the fundamental rights of Hong Kong people enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law.”

9) IFJ Congress urges Taiwan Government to pass legislation to protect pluralism 

The IFJ joins with its colleagues in Taiwan to express concern at the challenges they confront due to the increasing concentration of media ownership. The IFJ 2013 World Congress in Dublin, Ireland, urged the Taiwan Government to ensure proposed new legislation on media ownership provides effective safeguards against cross-sectoral monopolisation through rigorous controls based on market share, including firewalls against the acquisition of news media by financial and political interests. The Congress also called on the government to ensure that robust mechanisms are established to ensure editorial autonomy and journalistic rights. The proposed new legislation on media ownership in Taiwan arose after a anti-monopolisation movements sprang up in the past year. The Taiwan Journalists Association (ATJ), an affiliate of IFJ, has been a leading voice in these movements. The proposed law is a necessary tool to prevent private conglomerates, including those backed by special political interests linked with the People`s Republic of China or other forces contrary to news freedom, diversity and autonomy and verifiable and diverse sources of information.

10) A Bad Year for Press Freedom in Hong Kong - Press release for 2013 HKJA Annual Report Released

The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association’s (HKJA) 2013 Annual Report has been published, as a way to pressure the Hong Kong government into creating an environment that supports press freedom. Leung Chun-Ying’s first year as Hong Kong’s chief executive has raised concerns surrounding freedom of expression and press freedom in Hong Kong. This was a fear expressed at a Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) forum held in early 2012. Mr Leung failed to honour many promises in the HKJA charter that he signed last year, namely to defend press freedom and play an active role in implementing a freedom of information law. Mr Leung and his government have a lot to do to protect and promote press freedom. The HKJA, in association with the IFJ, calls on the government to urgently implement freedom of information legislation, review its policy on law reform to ensure that freedom of expression concerns are taken into full account in determining the content of new or amended laws, act quickly to open up the free-to-air television market, and do its utmost to prevent and solve incidences of violence and assault of journalists and media organisations.

ENDS

© Scoop Media