Chinese press gag

April 28, 2008, 9:44pm,  183 views

The World Association of Newspapers is leading a push to free the press in China.

WAN chief executive Timothy Balding says despite promises of reform made ahead of the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese authorities have not only failed to respect them, but they have intensified their crackdown on journalists and others who seek to exercise their right to freedom of expression.

“Chinese journalists continue to face censorship and repression and authoritarian laws, including subversion, disseminating state secrets and spying, are used by the government to control and restrict newsgathering and information and to jail journalists,” Balding writes.

“Furthermore, both Chinese-language media based abroad and foreign media have been routinely blocked or jammed in China.

“Foreign journalists now reporting from China in the run up to the Olympics are regularly harassed and even expelled, as was the case during the March 2008 events in Tibet.

“This violates the Organising Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games pledge that foreign media would have “complete freedom to report when they come to China.”

At least 30 journalists and 50 cyber reporters are currently held in Chinese prisons for reporting facts or peacefully expressing their views.

“It is high time for China to respect its commitments pertaining to freedom of expression and freedom of the press and to guarantee the right of all people to access information,” Balding says.

World Press Freedom Day on May 3 will raise international awareness of China’s press gag.

“Freedom of the press and human rights constitute the most serious problem currently facing China,” said Gao Yu, who was arrested in 1993 and sentenced to six years in prison for sending two articles on current affairs to a Hong Kong review.

She was charged with “divulging state secrets”, a catch-all charge often used by Chinese authorities to stifle independent reporting and dissent.

She compared her case to that of Hu Jia, a human rights campaigner and citizen journalist who was sentenced to three years in prison earlier this month.

“As the Olympic Games approach, this case demonstrates in a terribly emblematic fashion the position of the Communist Party in confrontation with freedom of expression,” she said.

“It also shows the riposte of the Chinese authorities to the demands of the international community.”

Chinese authorities promised in their successful Olympic bid that media would have “complete freedom to report when they come to China.”

The authorities have not only failed to honor their pledge, but they have intensified their crackdown on journalists and others who seek to exercise their right to freedom of expression.