Censorship, surveillance, and harassment: China cracks down on critics
Hours after the Chinese Communist Party proposed a constitutional change last month to lift presidential term limits, any words or phrases that remotely suggested President Xi Jingping was seeking a life term were blocked from social media. Censors targeted everything from “Emperor Xi,” “The Emperor’s Dream,” and “Dream of Returning to the Great Qing,” to…
China’s latest internet controls to stifle free expression
Washington, D.C., May 3, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly condemns China’s move on Tuesday to impose yet more stringent controls on the media and free expression by requiring strict licensing requirements for virtually all forms of news distribution.
Editor of human rights news website detained in China
New York, November 28, 2016 – Chinese authorities should immediately release Liu Feiyue, the editor and founder of the human rights news website Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch, known in China as Minsheng Guancha, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Liu’s arrest occurred amid increasing efforts by China to silence journalists and bloggers who…
Thailand pressures two broadcast journalists off the air
Bangkok, August 18, 2016–Two television reporters in Thailand have been suspended for a 10-day period under pressure from military authorities and state media regulators over their critical news coverage, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Thailand’s ruling military regime to cease its systematic harassment of the broadcast media and…
In China, harsh penalties for ‘false news’ make it harder for reporters to work
China’s journalists and bloggers, already under threat of persecution, face new risks from November 1, when amendments to the country’s criminal law come into effect. Under the amendment, passed in August by legislative body the National People’s Congress, those convicted of spreading false news about disasters or epidemics will face harsh penalties.
In Taiwan, three journalists arrested at student protest
Three journalists were arrested in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on July 23, 2015 while covering a student protest, according to reports. Liao Chen-hui, a photographer for Liberty Times, Sung Hsiao-hai, a reporter for Coolloud Collective, and freelance reporter Lin Yu-yu were released without charge the following day, according to reports.
Increased risks for filmmakers and sources in documentaries’ Golden Age
Joshua Oppenheimer travelled to New York for today’s premiere of his documentary “The Look of Silence,” but one place he won’t travel is Indonesia, where he says his work on this and an earlier film puts him at risk. Earlier this week, Laura Poitras, the Academy Award-winning director of the documentary CITIZENFOUR, filed a lawsuit…