Beijing Fumes as Australian Intelligence Searches Residences of Four Chinese Correspondents, Cries “Gross Violation of Right to Report”

China’s relations with Australia have become tense as two Australian correspondents in China, now evacuated, had a knock on the door from state security agents and was subjected to rounds of questioning. Chines state official media reported that the Australian authorities had recently searched the residences of four Chinese journalists stationed in Australia. The Chinese foreign ministry blasted the Australian government for “seriously interfering with the normal journalistic activities of Chinese media organizations” and “grossly violating the legitimate right to report of Chinese correspondents in Australia”.

Chinese foreign ministry: four reporters working for organizations including Xinhua News Agency under investigation

The Global Times reported on 9 September that Australian intelligence officers had recently raided the residences of Chinese correspondents in Australia. The report said that the authorities interrogated the reporters for an extended period of time, seized their computers and mobile phones, and asked them not to report on the state of the investigation.

Spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry Zhao Lijan said at the press conference that to China’s understanding, the Australian intelligence agency placed under investigation four reporters working for Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, and the Australian bureau of China News Agency on suspicion of breaking the Foreign Intervention Act.

Zhao insisted that Chinese reporters in Australia abide strictly by local laws and regulations while conducting interviews and reporting objectively and fairly. These reporters, Zhao said, have done a large amount of work to promote mutual understanding and friendly exchanges between the two countries. What the Australian government did, he said, has “seriously interfered with the normal journalistic activities of Chinese media organizations” and “grossly violating the legitimate right to report of Chinese correspondents in Australia” while seriously harming the physical and mental health of the journalists and their families. Zhao said further that it has fully exposed the hypocrisy with the ‘press freedom’ and the so-called ‘respect and protection for human rights’ Australia champions.

Source: Stand News #Sep09

#Australia #China #Journalist #Intelligence #PressFreedom #Diplomacy

https://bit.ly/3ks6dT3

Chinese State Media Condemns Searches of Correspondents’ Residences in Australia, Canberra Says Will Act Against Criminals Masquerading as Journalists

Tensions between China and Australia rise as a number of state-controlled Chinese media organizations including Xinhua News Agency, the Global Times, and China News Service took turns to accuse the Australian intelligence of having “brutishly” and “barbarically” conducted searches of the residences of Chinese correspondents in June and confiscated their equipment. The Australian home minister Peter Dutton refused to comment on the searches in an interview on 13 September. He admitted, however, that the authorities had taken some actions and would enforce the law where there is sufficient evidence.

In his interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Dutton said the government has the power to gather intelligence to prevent foreign interference. He refused to comment on whether any Chinese journalists had had their residences searched and been interrogated in June, stating only that the investigation was still underway. He admitted that the intelligence authorities had undertaken some activities, saying there was no evidence that the actions taken by the authorities had put Australian correspondents in China at risk.

Where the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has sufficient grounds, said Dutton, searches or other appropriate actions will be carried out. “If people are masquerading as journalists or business leaders or whoever they might be and there’s evidence that they are acting in a contrary nature to Australian law, then ASIO and the Australian Federal Police and other agencies will act,” he said.

Source: Stand News #Sep13

#China #Australia #Journalist #Intelligence #Diplomacy

https://bit.ly/3kEo2hV

‘You will be put into detention': Former ABC bureau chief tells story of fleeing China for first time

Former ABC's China bureau chief, Matthew Carney, decided to immediately leave China with his family before their visas would expire in less than a week because the authorities had threatened to detain his 14-year old daughter. Carney was berated for any "negative China coverage" as he had reported the mass detentions of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Foreign journalists and their families are under Chinese authorities' surveillance. One way the Chinese authorities try to force foreign journalists to self-censor their work is by threatening them not to renew the 12-month residency visas.

Source: ABC news #Sep21
#China #surveillance #media #journalist

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-21/matthew-carney-foreign-journalist-china-intimidation-birtles/12678610

Dr #LiWenliang died because #CCP tried to shut him up. Later they mourned him, hailed him as a national hero. But old habits die hard, CCP is still jailing journalists for speaking the truth. Empiricism and Truth are threats to a tyrant, lose the illusion that CCP will ever change and democratize.
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#china #wuhanvirus #covid #coronavirus #pandemic #truth #journalist #pressfreedom #freespeech #censorship #english #diyms

We’d like to say a big thank you to journalists in #HongKong and #China still striving to get the news out there despite #CCP draconian rule. 32 years ago, students in #Beijing begged foreign journalists to get their stories on #TiananmenSquare out there because they couldn’t. More than 3 decades have passed, #China has not democratised under CCP’s rule. We should shed the illusion that they will change!
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#worldpressfreedomday #worldpressfreedomday2021 #pressfreedom #journalist #freedomofpress #english #meme #diyms

Foreign journalists harassed covering China floods, correspondents' club says

Journalists from several media outlets covering recent floods in China were harassed online and by local residents, with staff from the BBC and Los Angeles Times receiving death threats, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC).

In a statement on Tuesday, the FCCC criticised what it said was growing hostility to foreign media, some of which it said was fanned by official bodies.

"There must be immediate action by the Chinese government to stop these attacks which continue to endanger foreign journalists," the BBC said in a statement on Twitter.

Source: Reuters #Jul27

https://reut.rs/3zEkQu2

#China #BBC #LosAngelesTimes #FCCC #journalist

Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan Jailed over Covid-19 Report, Weighing Less Than 40kg on Hunger Strike
Her Family: She may not live long

China citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" after exposing the epidemic in Wuhan last year. She has been on a hunger strike in prison, and her health is deteriorating.

Her brother, Zhang Ju, recently posted on Twitter that his sister appears to be terminally ill and is worried that she will not be able to survive the winter. The British Embassy in China urges the Chinese authorities to release Zhang Zhan and other detained journalists immediately.

In a series of posts on Twitter on Saturday and Sunday, Zhang Ju revealed his sister Zhang Zhan's latest condition and posted her old photos. "I don't think she can live much longer," he said, adding that Zhang is 177cm tall but weighs less than 40kg now, "if she doesn't make it through the coming cold winter, I hope the world will remember her".

Editor note: "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" is a charge routinely used to suppress dissent, levelling against citizen journalists, human rights lawyers and activists.

#China #Wuhan #ZhangZhan #Prison #HungerStrike #Journalist #PressFreedom #Covid19 #Pandemic #ZhangJu #Twitter #BritishEmbassy

Source: The Stand News #Nov02

https://bit.ly/30529DQ

#FreedomOfSpeech #PoliceState
Dutch journalist manhandled off camera by a Communist guard while reporting live outside the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony

//Dutch journalist Sjoerd den Daas was halted by Chinese guards as reported live on air.  

He was dragged away while his camera was also blocked as he covered the Olympic opening ceremony. His boss described the incident as a "a painful illustration" of the media is treated in China.//

Read full article:
https://www.insider.com/video-dutch-journalist-manhandled-off-camera-by-guards-at-olympics-2022-2

#WinterOlympics #CCP #Totalitarianism #Journalist #SjoerdDenDaas #NOSJournaal

A #Quarantined #Journalist longs for a cup of coffee, after more than a week in Olympic isolation. We look at what athletes say about the scene in Beijing.

🔶Watch the full episode👉https://youtu.be/uHThR7azm4M