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China:Release citizen journalists detained for highlighting security crackdown

Posted by on 2014/03/11. Filed under Breaking News,China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

The Chinese authorities must immediately release three citizen journalists detained since the weekend for highlighting a security crackdown in Beijing for the annual parliamentary session currently under way, said Amnesty International.

Liu Xuehong, XingJian and Wang Jing, – who all write for the Chinesewebsite 64 Tianwang – were taken away by police in separate raids in Beijing over the weekend.

“Journalism is not acrime and these three activists should be released immediately,” said William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International.

“Their detention showsthe disturbing lengths the authorities are willing to go to control the message during the National People’s Congress.”

 Thethree citizen journalists have been criminally detained on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles”. All had been reporting on the plight of petitioners near Tiananmen Square.

Scores of petitioners arebeing prevented from protesting as part of a security crackdown during the National People’s Congress  China’s annual parliamentary session which began last Wednesday and runs for 10 days.

Security in thecapital has been stepped up for the annual session, which usually draws thousands of petitioners from across the country to seek justice from the central authorities on a wide range of issues.

A womanattempted to set herself on fire in Tiananmen Square on the opening day, but was swiftly taken away by security officials. 64 Tianwang had reported on the incident.

Thewebsite – which is run by hundreds of volunteers – covers human rights news for a mainland Chinese audience.

The three citizen journalists are being held in detention centres in separate locations. Wang Jing was sent to a detention centre in her home town of Jilin in north-east China, while Liu Xuehong is being held in Beijing.

It is not known where Xing Jian, who at 17 years old is the youngest volunteer for 64 Tianwang, is being held.

On 8 March, six police officers also raided Liu Xuehong’s home in the capital and seized three computers, two cameras and one computer hard disk, according to her husband.

For further information or to arrangean interview with an Amnesty International expert, please contact:

Hong Kong: Tom Mackey            +852 6026 3992          [email protected]

Or in London: + 44 (0) 20 7413 5566     [email protected]         @amnestypress

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