Police Continue to Harass Photographer

Police Continue to Harass Photographer

The International Federation of Journalists welcomes the release of photographer Du Bin by Beijing police after he was detained for more than a month.

Du, 41, a former New York Times photographer, was detained by Fengtai district police on May 31. He was released on July 8 but the police imposed a restriction on his movement for a period of one year.

“I have to report to them if I change my telephone number or residential address,” Du added. “I can’t leave China because all my travelling documents, my identity card, my credit card and even my bank account card are detained by police.”

Early in his detention, police accused of him spreading rumours and disturbing public order but the charge was later altered and Du was then accused of provocation and disturbing public order.

Rather than question him on those allegations during his interrogation, police instead kept asking about his motives for writing books and filming a documentary. “I denied all [the] accusations. I did not violate any law. I neither have any motive to overthrow Communist Party of China nor any particular motive to write my books. I created my books and documentaries merely because I‘m a human being. I have to record all the voices of victims when they face suppression.”

Du said: “I believe they detained me because I wrote Tiananmen Square Massacre and because I created the documentary Masanjia Women’s Labour Camp which exposed human rights violations taking place inside the camp. They also disliked that I accepted interviews with Sound of the Hope and Epoch Times, both media outlets supported by Falun Gong.”

The IFJ welcomes Du‘s release but condemns the ongoing police restrictions on his freedom of movement and the deprivation of his rights by refusing to return his personal belongings. “The police must accept Du did not violate any law. He is a journalist, a writer and a filmmaker. The police cannot continue to abuse to deprive a citizen of his basic human rights especially when that person has done no wrong,” the IFJ Asia- Pacific said.

The IFJ urges Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun to investigate the case and ensure police free Du without any restrictions on his movement, return his personal belongings and issue a public apologise for his false detention. The IFJ also urges the All Chinese Journalists Association to investigate the issue and campaign to ensure journalists are free from police harassment and their rights are observed and protected by the authorities. 

ENDS

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