FOcus On - International Press Institute

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 Bo xun
.com, Sun had been warned to stop repor -
ting for Boxun.com. His wife re ceived a
suspended sentence in a June trial.
Chinese authorities barred
foreign journalists from
covering the unrest in Tibet
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 Wang -
chen 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 organised 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
A newspaper vendor sorts dailies featuring
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on
their front pages at as news stand in
Beijing, China, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008.
(AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel)
seeing Tibetan protests, according to
Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Jour -
nalists 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 do -
mestic journalists continue to face steep
hurdles – sometimes at their own peril.
P.R. China in Brief
Population: 1.3 billion
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.
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.
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