China
2011
Amid jail releases, Chinese journalist’s sentence extended
New York, June 23, 2011–Authorities in Shandong should overturn a second prison sentence handed down to freelance journalist Qi Chonghuai just days before the end of his term, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Two of three Chinese journalists scheduled for release this month are out of jail. Artist Ai Weiwei was unexpectedly freed…
China releases artist Ai Weiwei, questions remain
New York, June 22, 2011–Artist and filmmaker Ai Weiwei’s release from prison leaves questions unanswered about his illegal detention and other missing activists and journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The whereabouts of Ai’s associate, freelance journalist Wen Tao, missing since April 3 and presumed detained, is still unknown.
Uighur refugee extradited by Kazakhstan, held in China
Kazakhstan authorities have extradited Uighur schoolteacher Arshidin Israil to China, where officials have described him without elaboration as a “major terror suspect,” according to Reuters and other news accounts. Israil and his supporters believe the detention comes in reprisal for reporting he contributed to Radio Free Asia concerning the July 2009 riots in Xinjiang Uighur…
Public health still risky topic for Chinese journalists
Public health reporting is improving in China, but not fast enough. A new Human Rights Watch report on child lead poisoning in Chinese cities documents harassment of local journalists trying to cover the problem. “Journalists who reported on the lead poisoning in three of the four locations told Human Rights Watch that police had followed…
Chinese media freedom in a ‘sensitive’ period
I was in London on Friday, speaking at a seminar joint-hosted by the BBC Chinese service and the British think tank Chatham House called “Media Freedom in China and the Role of International Broadcasters.” There was a lot of impassioned discussion about the range of challenges facing international broadcasters, from slashed budgets to the recent…
No spring in China, but are the media heading for a fall?
Here’s a quick toss to a video posted on YouTube by Australian Broadcasting’s reporter Stephen McDonell. He and his crew decided to confront some Chinese security types (not surprisingly they didn’t identify themselves) who had been following them in Wenzhou while reporting in China. The team was covering religion, including underground or “house” churches–those not…
In China, journalist sanctioned while activist disappears
New York, May 23, 2011–The recent sidelining of an outspoken journalist in Guangzhou and the disappearance on Friday of a Beijing lawyer and activist known for his blog writings are the latest signs of China’s deteriorating press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Media memorializing Sichuan earthquake censored
New York, May 13, 2011–Amid a harsh media crackdown, Chinese authorities censored discussion of the May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake anniversary that referenced independent investigations into the damage, according to international news reports. CPJ interviewed filmmaker Alison Klayman about activists imprisoned for documenting official negligence which contributed to the destruction, including detained artist Ai Weiwei,…
Q&A: Filmmaker talks Ai Weiwei and jailed activists
Three years after a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan province in May 2008, CPJ spoke to documentary filmmaker Alison Klayman. The director is working on the upcoming “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” about the recently detained Chinese artist who documented the aftermath of the earthquake and published the names of children killed in the collapse of frail…