China Free Press

Cyber-dissident’s wife calls for release on medical grounds

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:36:16 PST

The wives of two prominent Chinese dissidents have issued appeals on behalf of their ill or missing husbands.

Zeng Jinyan (曾金燕), who is married to cyber-dissident Hu Jia (胡佳), detained since December 2007 and suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, has appealed for his release on medical grounds. It is the seventh time she has asked for him to be freed.

Washington urged to press Chinese president to release Nobel peace laureate

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:33:20 PST

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its call for Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo’s release and urges the US government to firmly raise the issue of media freedom with Chinese President Hu Jintao and his delegation during the visit to Washington that they are due to begin this evening.

Just four days ago, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said: “America will continue to speak out and press China when it censors bloggers and imprisons activists, when religious believers, particularly those in unregistered groups, are denied full freedom of worship, when lawyers and legal advocates are sent to prison simply for representing clients who challenge the government’s positions.”

Reporters Without Borders hails Clinton’s statement and calls on the Obama administration to put these good intentions into action.

“China is the world’s biggest prison for journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “This is an opportunity to criticise censorship’s increasing hold over Chinese society and to ask President Hu Jintao directly to free Liu Xiaobo and the 106 journalists and netizens detained in China. The US government must seize this opportunity. This is how it can demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression in China and elsewhere in the world.”

Propaganda Department issues orders for 2011

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:31:32 PST

China’s Propaganda Department, which is under the direct orders of the country’s Communist Party, has marked the New Year with a series of directives to the media. Regarded as state secrets, they have been delivered by word of mouth to journalists at meetings where note-taking has been banned.

However, Reporters Without Borders has obtained details of the instructions:

They impose a blackout on social and economic problems with a view to “reassuring” the people and defending the concept of fair growth. Many issues are off-limits, so that the party line is not challenged. They include the property market, rising prices, corruption, the demolition of housing and compulsory relocation, residence permits, the absence of social security, inadequate transport during the Chinese New Year and popular discontent that finds expression in anti-government demonstrations.

Propaganda department in attack on “false news”

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:29:09 PST

Chinese journalists are to undergo six-month training courses that will teach them how to “eradicate false news, improve the feeling of social responsibility and reinforce journalistic ethics.”

“In short, to make journalists themselves actors in censorship,” Reporters Without Borders commented.

The initiative comes from the Propaganda department, directly linked to the Communist Party, and follows its announcement of 10 directives relating to the press in 2011.

Reporters Without Frontiers condemns this escalation in the control of information.

“The Propaganda Department shows itself to be ever more inventive in working out new directives to put pressure on journalists,” the press freedom organization said. “This training takes the form of banning among journalists any critical sprit and making out of them state employees in the service of state ideology.”

Uncle meets netizen Hada

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:23:36 PST

The uncle of journalist and human rights campaigner Hada has told the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) that he has been authorized to meet recently his nephew.

Haschuluu said in a phone interview which was brutally cut off that the meeting had taken place in a location under military surveillance. Hada’s exact whereabouts remain unknown.

CPJ asks Obama to raise jailed Chinese journalists with Hu

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:50:41 PST

Dear President Obama:
The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to you in advance of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in January to urge you to raise press freedom issues during your talks. We ask that you make clear the depth of U.S. concern that China is the world's leading jailer of journalists.

Chinese reporter dies 10 days after being beaten

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 07:48:47 PST

The death of Sun Hongjie, a senior reporter at the Northern Xinjiang Morning Post, must be fully investigated by regional authorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and by central authorities in Beijing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sun died in a hospital in Kuitun today, 10 days after being beaten by several men at a construction site, international news reports said.

At least six young men attacked Sun at the Kuitin construction site, where the reporter had gone to meet a source, according to international news reports.

CPJ skeptical of official line on Chinese reporter's beating

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 22:39:52 PST

The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the vicious beating of reporter Sun Hongjie and doubts official reports that the attack occurred because of an online dispute with a social media acquaintance. Sun, a reporter for the Northern Xinjiang Morning Post (known locally at the Beijiang Morning Post) was attacked by a group of six people after he had gone to meet a source at a construction site in the small city of Kuitin on Saturday night, according to international news reports. He was discovered at the site on Sunday morning. The state news agency, Xinhua, has reported that he is brain-dead.

journalists very harsh sentenced to jail in Xinjiang and Tibet

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 22:32:20 PST

We have just learned that Memetjan Abdulla, a journalist working for the Uyghur service of Chinese national radio and manager of the Uyghur website Salkin, was sentenced to life imprisonment in April this year for translating and posting articles on the plight of Uyghurs in the country. Gulmire Imin, a young woman also working for the website, was handed down the same sentence for “revealing” state secrets “organising a demonstration” and for “separatism”.

Radio Free Asia said this very harsh sentence, pronounced after a secret trial in Urumqi, was also intended to punish him for answering questions from foreign journalists and translating or posting a series of articles on Salkin. The authorities also accused Memetjan Abdulla of having provoked ethnic unrest in Xinjiang in July 2009, after Uyghur workers died in a factory in Shaoguan. He also reportedly translated into Uyghur and posted on Salkin, an appeal by the (banned) World Uyghur Congress to demonstrate abroad against this incident.

Mongolian Dissident Confined to Hotel, Family Says

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 02:54:44 PST

An ethnic Mongolian dissident who completed a 15-year prison sentence last week for political crimes has been confined to a luxury hotel in Inner Mongolia along with his wife and son, according to a family member who spoke with the police earlier this week.

The dissident, Hada, has been missing since last Friday, when he was reportedly released from the detention center where he served his time for espionage and “splitting the nation.” A day later, photographs were anonymously published on the Internet showing Mr. Hada and his family sharing a meal together and wanly toasting the camera.

Like many ethnic Mongolians, Mr. Hada, his wife and their son use one name.

Human rights advocates have expressed concern that the authorities have summarily extended Mr. Hada’s punishment by preventing his return to Hohhot, the provincial capital of Inner Mongolia, which is officially known as an autonomous region.

Authorities urged to resolve mystery about what has happened to Hada

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:29:15 PST

The Chinese authorities refuse to say what has become of journalist and human rights activist Hada (哈达), who should have been released from Inner Mongolia's Chifeng prison on 10 December on completing a 15-year jail sentence. There has also been no direct word from his wife Xinna (新娜) and his son Uiles (威勒斯), who were arrested 10 days ago.

Reporters Without Borders calls on the government to provide precise information about the current status of Hada and his family.

Nobel Peace Prize – universal tribute to freedom of expression

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:14:35 PST

Reporters Without Borders regards today's Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo, which it attended, as an historic celebration of the paramount importance of freedom of expression. Awarded to jailed Chinese intellectual Liu Xiaobo, the prize was a tribute to all free speech activists, like the Nobel Peace Prizes that went to Russia's Andrei Sakharov and Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi.

If China wants to refurbish its international image, it must free Liu Xiaobo, his wife and all its prisoners of conscience, and demonstrate a clear commitment to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But if it chooses to continue down the road of repression, as is to be feared, all of his efforts, including its media efforts, will be doomed to failure.

Urgent need to free Liu Xiaobo

Responses to Liu Xiaobo's (刘哓波) Detractors

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:12:19 PST

The decision to award this year's Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese political dissident who is serving an 11-year jail sentence, has prompted a great deal of comment and debate. Everyone is trying to understand the Nobel Committee's motives and the significance of its choice.

In both China and the West, doubts have been expressed about the reasons and intentions behind this decision. Is Liu Xiaobo a man of peace? Isn't the Nobel Committee straying from the prize's original goal? Why does the West seem to be hailing this choice while the Chinese authorities are reacting with threats and censorship?

Reporters Without Borders would like to participate in this debate and provide some answers to these questions, not for those who are already convinced of the rightness of Liu's cause, but for the sceptics and those who have not made up their mind.

News of Nobel ceremony censored in China

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 22:59:29 PST

New York, December 10, 2010--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Chinese authorities' censorship of news reports covering today's ceremony in Oslo awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned writer Liu Xiaobo.

Local news outlets did not report on the ceremony, while international news websites including CNN and the BBC were blocked within China from Thursday, according to The New York Times. Foreign television news, which only air in select locations catering to overseas visitors, was blacked out for the duration of segments about the prize, according to international news reports.

Debate on Internet censorship censored

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:30:46 PST

It is only logical that an article about online censorship would be censored. But last week's censorship of such an article by the Shanghai-based business weekly Diyi Caijing Zhoukan (第一财经周刊- cbnweek.com) has again highlighted the extremes to which the propaganda agencies go to ensure that any discussion of the way the Communist Party censors the Internet is nipped in the bud.

The case is all the more important after the allegations in the U.S. diplomatic cables leaked at the weekend that the Communist Party's Politburo was directly responsible for the cyber-attacks on Google's computer systems and other targets, a charge that is extremely damaging for China's international image.

The article describes the activities behind the scenes at the Beijing-based Bureau of Website Administrators (北京市的网管办), one of the entities responsible for online censorship. It was quickly withdrawn from Diyi Caijing Zhoukan's website, cbnweek.com, after the authorities banned its reproduction in print or online on 24 November 2010.

The following administrative directive was sent to websites: “From midnight on 24 November, it is strictly forbidden to repost content from the Diyi Caijing Zhoukan website. It is also forbidden to post any link to this site.” The date the ban was issued is not mentioned.

Tension in Inner Mongolia about activist's imminent release, supporters harassed

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:40:30 PST

Reporters Without Borders urges the Chinese authorities not to delay the release of Mongol journalist and human rights activist Hada, who will complete a 15-year jail sentence in Inner Mongolia on 10 December. Their behaviour towards his supporters indicates a degree of nervousness about the prospect of his imminent release.

“We ask the authorities to allow Hada to be reunited with his family after his release,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We also urge them to stop all forms of surveillance of those who defend Mongol ethnic minority rights peacefully online.”

Woman sentenced to a year's forced labour over one ironic tweet

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:37:33 PST

Reporters Without Borders urges the Chinese authorities to rescind the sentence of one year of “reeducation through work” that has been imposed on a 46-year-old woman, Cheng Jianping, for relaying a comment on Twitter. It is believed to be the first time that someone has been sent to a labour camp in China because of a tweet.

“Cheng Jianping just retweeted an ironic comment on a subject that touches the sensitive chord of Chinese nationalism,” Reporters Without Borders said. “This was not organized dissident activity. Unable to control Twitter, it seems the Chinese authorities are trying to set an example in order to get the microblogging platform's users to censor themselves. They are cracking down harder on netizens everywhere.”

365 days for 140 characters

Liu Xiaobo – only Nobel peace laureate still detained

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:44:48 PST

The entire world applauded when Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma's pro-democracy opposition and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, was freed on on 13 November. Her release means that Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo (刘哓波) is now the only winner of this prestigious award to remain in detention.

Aung San Suu Kyi and Liu Xiaobo have similar destinies. Both are fighting for democracy in their countries and both were locked up by governments that do not respect freedom of expression. Will the former's release prompt the Chinese authorities to release their “Nobel”, who continues to serve an 11-year jail sentence?

Reporters Without Borders reiterates its call for the release of Liu and all of China's political prisoners. The Chinese government reacted to Aung San Suu Kyi's release by calling her an “important political figure” and voicing confidence in the process of peace and ethnic reconciliation in Burma.. So why shouldn't it follow suit with Liu? There is an urgent need to end his unjust imprisonment.

Reporters Without Borders also reiterates its call for the release of Burma's 2,200 political prisoners and for the Burmese authorities to stop censoring the media and allow them to report Aung San Suu Kyi's release and to cover her current activities.

Meanwhile, there has been no let-up in the harassment and pressure on Liu's family and supporters and all the other free speech activities in China.

The Chinese government has already tried to dissuade diplomats from attending the Nobel award ceremony on 10 December in Oslo and has prevented several Chinese human rights activists from leaving the country in case they go to Oslo. Liu's wife, Liu Xia (刘霞), is still under house arrest while his brothers are pessimistic about their chances of being able to travel. Liu has also been denied a monthly visit by relatives. Mo Shaoping (莫少平), a human rights lawyer who supports Liu, is among those who have been prevented from travelling abroad.

The Nobel Committee could as a result find itself unable to hand over this year's peace prize, said one of its leading members, Geir Lundestad, describing Liu as “one of the most important Nobels in history.”

Reporters Without Borders calls for Liu Xiaobo's release as Chinese president passes

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:32:50 PST

Several Reporters Without Borders representatives were arrested near the Arc de Triomphe this morning in Paris after opening umbrellas bearing the words “Free Liu Xiaobo” as Chinese President Hu Jintao passed by in a motorcade on his way to deposit a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

A total of six people – four Reporters Without Borders members and two other human rights activists – were taken to the 8th Arrondissement police station. Around 20 Reporters Without Borders members and a Canal Plus journalist were briefly detained by police at the Franklin Roosevelt metro station. Chinese pro-democracy activist Wang Longmeng (王龙蒙) was among those who were stopped.

Jail sentence for setting up website about tainted milk powder

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:26:12 PST

Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of Zhao Lianhai(赵连海), an activist who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in Beijing today on a charge of “inciting social unrest” for creating a website about the effects on young children of contaminated milk powder sold by the Chinese company Sanlu.

Detained since November 2009, Zhao has appealed against the verdict and has begun a hunger strike.

“The authorities are again targeting citizens who use the Internet to campaign for action that is to everyone's benefit,” Reporters Without Borders said. “It is yet another dramatic illustration of a lack of humanity on the part of the Chinese authorities and how censorship can prove to be criminal. Zhao should not only be freed at once but also officially commended for his altruistic commitment.”

Zhao set up his website as a source of information for the parents of children affected by milk powder that had been adulterated with melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer, to make the milk appear to have a higher protein content. Consumption of the tainted milk caused kidney problems and in some cases kidney stones.