Chinese Stranglehold

New York, October 25, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of detained journalist Qi Chonghuai, who was beaten by police while in custody, according to his wife. Qi has been detained at the Tengzhou Detention Center in the eastern province of Shandong since June 25 when police took him from his home, his wife Jiao Xia told CPJ. He was initially held for using a...

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, October 2, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the recent arrest of freelance writer Lü Gengsong on subversion charges and calls for his immediate release. Lü's wife, Wang Xue'e, received notice on Sunday of her husband's arrest on charges of "inciting subversion of state power," according to Chinese human rights groups and news reports. The notice, from the...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned the treatment meted out to two British journalists, Andrew Carter and Aidan Hartley, and their Chinese fixer Dean Peng, working for the investigative programme "Unreported World" on British TV's Channel 4. The two were investigating the fate of petitioners held by the authorities in a western district of the capital, when they were assaulted by...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the release of Li Yuanlong, a reporter for Bijie Ribao daily newspaper in Guizhou province. Yualong is the second journalist this week to complete a jail sentence imposed by the Chinese authorities and to be released on the promised date. Yuanlong was first detained in September 2005. He was tried on May 11, 2006, for charges of “inciting...

A Chinese researcher for the New York Times who was arrested on charges of revealing state secrets and later convicted of fraud was released Saturday after serving a three-year prison sentence. On Saturday morning, Zhao Yan was greeted by family members and friends as he left a Beijing detention centre. He hugged his sister, daughter and others but said nothing to reporters. He later issued a...

The arrest of two Agence France-Presse reporters on September 12th is the latest in a string of cases of foreign journalists being obstructed in their work. They show that the less stringent regulations introduced in January are being applied erratically and only when less sensitive issues are involved. At least 32 foreign journalists have been detained or prevented by police from doing reports...

Chinese journalist Zhao Yan may be released on September 15 when he completes a three-year prison sentence for alleged fraud. Despite the many appeals for his release in the past, his sentence was never reduced and he was never granted early release. “After serving his three-year sentence in full, first in a state security centre and then a prison, Zhao should have all his rights restored...

China has adopted an emergency response law that bans the spread of false information, but also requires timely information from the government about major accidents, health threats and disasters. The law outlines punishments for media outlets that spread false information about disasters — a move that press freedom organisaitons say is designed to muzzle reporters. Relative of a miner who is...

Reporters Without Borders insisted today that Yahoo! was responsible for the conviction of Wang Xiaoning and Shi Tao and possibly other Chinese cyber-dissidents as well after the US Internet company called on 27 August for the dismissal of the lawsuit brought against it in the United States by relatives of these two imprisoned cyber-dissidents. “Wang and Shi were both convicted thanks to...

(CNSNews.com) - American Internet companies' operations in China are back in the spotlight, as Yahoo fends off a lawsuit brought on behalf of imprisoned dissident journalists and press freedom groups, who are expressing concern about a new "self-discipline" pledge designed to tighten controls on Chinese bloggers. Yahoo on Monday asked an Oakland, Calif., court to throw out the case brought by a...