People's Republic of China
by Barbara Trionfi
China was a magnet for journalists who were drawn to cover the Beijing Olympics, widespread protests against Chinese rule of Tibet, scandals over dodgy foods and goods sold by Chinese companies, and the earthquake that hit the Sichuan province killing almost 70,000 people.
But covering the events wasn’t an easy job. The government imposed restrictions on the media to prevent reporting that could harm the golden image the government was trying to portray for the summer Olympics. Even after the Games ended in a blaze of glory and widespread praise, Chinese journalists were pressured to refrain from reporting about the impact of another major story of the year -- the global financial contagion. Journalists who defied the rules faced arrest, detention, harassment, and other forms of intimidation.
Under pressure from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the international community, China had adopted regulations granting foreign journalists freedom of movement and freedom to interview whomever they wanted. These regulations were followed, however, by a spate of attacks against foreign journalists (338 cases between 1 January 2007 and the end of 2008, according to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China, or FCCC); and restrictions on Chinese citizens from having contact with foreign journalists. Families of Chinese human rights victims were forbidden to talk to media.
The FCCC reported that at least 10 foreign journalists received anonymous death threats "during a campaign on the web and in state-run media, against alleged bias in Western media coverage of the Tibetan unrest and its aftermath."
If the situation for foreign journalists was bleak, Chinese journalists encountered far greater challenges. Among other things, they faced detention and other forms of officially sanctioned retaliation for such things as reporting on the devastation following the earthquake.
In China, "to be a good journalist, one does not only need wisdom but needs moral courage even more," said Li Chongqing, who spent three years in prison for reporting on an outbreak of dengue fever before the authorities announced it. He received an award for his work from the World Association of Newspapers for his work.
In a year in which China had promised to respect freedom of expression, at least 17 journalists and writers were detained, jailed, or charged with crimes such as "inciting subversion" in connection with their work.
Among those jailed was Huang Qi, founder of the website www.64tianwang.com. Huang was charged on 16 June with illegally obtaining state secrets after he published articles critical of the government’s response to the devastating Sichuan earthquake. In 2000, Huang was imprisoned for five years under subversion charges in connection with other articles published on line. He later said he was severely beaten during his time in prison.
On 9 June, Zheng Hongling, a former university professor who wrote articles published on Huang’s site, was arrested and charged with "divulging information abroad".
Another prominent writer and activist, Hu Jia, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on 3 April on charges of "inciting subversion of state power." Hu, known for his writings about the Chinese democracy movement, and as environmental and HIV/AIDS activist, had criticised restrictions imposed before the Olympics in articles published on Boxun.com and other websites. His wife, who is also a human rights activist, and child were placed under house arrest in Beijing.
China Legal News journalist Qi Chonghuai and freelancer He Yanjie received prison sentences in May of four and two years, respectively, for publishing photographs of a luxurious Tengzhou government building on the Xinhuanet website, alleging official corruption in the Tengzhou branch of the Communist Party. Qi is known for his news reports on corruption and social injustice and had received several warnings about his reporting prior to his arrest in 2007.
Another rights activist and contributor to the Boxun.com website, Sun Lin, was condemned on 26 June to four years in prison for "disturbing the social order." Sun and his wife He Fang had been arrested in May 2007. According to Boxun.com, Sun had been warned to stop reporting for Boxun.com. His wife received a suspended sentence in a June trial.
Protests in Tibet that began in March to mark the anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule also brought retribution from the authorities.
Paljor Norbu, 81, was sentenced to seven years in prison in November for printing the Tibetan flag and other prohibited material, according to Human Rights Watch. Details of the sentence were sketchy and the traditional printer’s family were not told of his whereabouts.
Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen and cameraman Jigme Gyatso were detained in March after making a documentary about Tibet. The film, "Leaving Fear Behind," includes interviews with Tibetan people on sensitive issues such as the Dalai Lama, the Beijing Olympic Games and Chinese rule over Tibet. The two sent their film abroad before being detained.
Tibetan writer, singer and television presenter Rangjung was detained on 11 September without charges. It is believed that his detention is in connection with his pro-Tibetan views expressed on his blog.
Chinese authorities barred foreign journalists from covering the unrest in Tibet. Following international condemnation of the limits on foreign reporting, the Chinese government organized trips to the administrative capital of Lhasa for foreign correspondents. However, journalists who joined these trips were closely controlled. International radio stations broadcasting to Tibet were jammed and the Chinese authorities stepped up the censorship of incoming and outgoing Internet traffic.
On 16 March, police prevented journalists with the US television network ABC from filming in a Tibetan district. Two days earlier, the American documentary filmmaker Spence Palermo was held in his hotel room to prevent him from seeing Tibetan protests, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Journalists were also barred from freely covering a small demonstration by Tibetan students held at Beijing University on 17 March. Dozens of the demonstrators were arrested.
Chastened by international criticism, Chinese authorities eased restrictions on foreign journalists covering the Olympics and on 17 October announced that the greater freedom granted ahead of the summer athletic events would continue. In practice, however, both foreign and domestic journalists continue to face steep hurdles – sometimes at their own peril.
Recommendations:
- Release jailed journalists, cyber dissidents and other citizens imprisoned for distributing information or expressing their opinion.
- Bring Chinese laws and administrative practices in line with Article 35 of the constitution, which states that "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration."
- Respect journalists’ freedom to report on natural catastrophes and their aftermath as expressed in the resolution adopted by the 57th IPI General Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, on 16 June 2008.
P.R. China in Brief
Population: 1.3 billion
Domestic Overview: China is a single-party socialist republic. Economic reforms called Socialism with Chinese Characteristics were started in 1978 by pragmatists within the Communist Party led by Deng Xiaoping. These reforms eventually turned China into a global economic power and brought poverty down from 53% of the population in the Mao era to 12% in 1981 and only 6% of the population by 2001, according to the World Bank.
Beyond Borders: China has worked hard to burnish its international relations and image since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. Its economic power makes it an indispensable partner despite its human rights policies, while its economic influence is expanding rapidly in Africa and Latin America.