Journalists in China Held for Reporting ‘Jasmine Revolution’

Journalists in China Held for Reporting ‘Jasmine Revolution’ Protests

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply concerned by reports that police in China charged a writer with inciting subversion of state power for distributing “jasmine revolution” information online.

Sichuan Literature magazine writer Ran Yunfei, a signatory of the Charter 08 manifesto, was detained by police and may have been charged according to a February 24 report in German newspaper Deutsche Welle.

Many bloggers, journalists and dissidents have been detained by police since the “jasmine revolution” information began spreading through the internet on February 19, reports said. Police have blocked, harassed and detained journalists when they tried to cover a protest on February 27, the second protest in China held on successive Sundays, with the first held on February 20.

“Journalists have the right to report any protest regardless of whether it is in China , Egypt or Libya ,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

“Police have no legitimate claim to block, detain or harass journalists nor to charge anyone who exercises their right of access to information under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

According to a number of reports by Hong Kong media outlets, several journalists including Hong Kong , Taiwan and foreign journalists were blocked and detained by police when they were covering a protest on February 27 in Wangfujing, Beijing . ATV reported that a camera operator and reporter and a TVB camera operator were detained for a few hours before they were released. It was reported that one of ATV news clips capturing the protest was deleted by police officers during the journalists’ detention.

On the same day Bloomberg TV journalist Stephen Engle was pushed to the ground by police and his head was then beaten with a broom handle by a man who dressed like as a street sweeper in Beijing , according to the Wall Street Journal.

The IFJ has also learned that journalists from foreign media outlets one from Radio Free Asia and another from Kyodo ( Japan ) had their identities checked by police in Guangzhou on February 27 .

“One of the plainclothes officers pretended to be a “protester” and got closer to me – he thought that I was a protester and then he tried to get information from me,” said one of the journalists, who requested anonymity.

“He used his iPhone to photograph my face and my identity was checked by a policeman in uniform immediately after I left the plainclothes officer.”

The IFJ urges the Human Rights Council to demand that United Nation s member countries sincerely uphold freedom of the press and demand the immediate release of people detained during the recent protests in China .

ENDS

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