(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to United States (US) President George W. Bush, RSF urged him to intercede with Chinese President Jiang Zemin during his forthcoming visit to China to try to end the harassment of foreign journalists covering demonstrations by the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. Seven foreign reporters were arrested in Beijing’s Tienanmen […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to United States (US) President George W. Bush, RSF urged him to intercede with Chinese President Jiang Zemin during his forthcoming visit to China to try to end the harassment of foreign journalists covering demonstrations by the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. Seven foreign reporters were arrested in Beijing’s Tienanmen Square on 14 February 2002 while covering the arrests of protesting Falun Gong members.
In his letter to Bush, RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard noted, “This is an example of the very difficult working conditions for foreign journalists in China, who are subjected daily to intimidation, arrests and surveillance.” The organisation asked the US president to press the Chinese authorities to respect the right to inform of foreign journalists who work in China. “We think it is vital that you protest to the Chinese leaders the use of violence against professional journalists, mainly Americans, who were covering a peaceful demonstration by members of a spiritual movement that is harshly repressed by the authorities,” Ménard added.
RSF has learned that police in Beijing held at least seven reporters for two hours on 14 February. They reportedly intimidated the journalists and confiscated their equipment. As they were covering a protest by about forty Falun Gong members in Tienanmen Square, two Associated Press reporters, two Reuters reporters, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer and a BBC journalist were arrested and taken to the police station nearest the square. Some of the journalists witnessed police violence against the protesters. AFP said police held one woman for several minutes with her face jammed against a chair. A journalist from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who happened to be at the square for non-professional reasons was also arrested. Public security ministry officials seized camera film and videotapes from the journalists. During their brief detention, a policeman intimidated them several times and prevented them from talking to each other.
President Bush is due to arrive in China on 21 February for an official visit, during which he will meet President Jiang Zemin and make a televised address to the Chinese people.
Since the Falun Gong was banned in July 1999, the Chinese authorities have repeatedly harassed foreign journalists who attempt to report on the movement. Foreign photographers and cameramen have been prevented from working at or near Tienanmen Square, where hundreds of Falun Gong members have demonstrated over the past few years. RSF estimates that at least fifty foreign journalists have been detained since July 1999, some of whom have been beaten by police. Several Falun Gong members have also been jailed for talking to foreign journalists. Quoted in articles by “The Wall Street Journal” Beijing correspondent Ian Johnson, one of the Falun Gong practitioners, Zhiang Xueling, was arrested on 24 April 2001 and was sentenced a few years later to three years in a labour camp.
