Media Release: China
March 1, 2013
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns attacks on journalists
that took place in Hong Kong and Mainland China last month.
A
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) statement on 28
February stated that broadcaster ARD’s correspondent Christine Adelhardt and
four colleagues were attacked by unidentified thugs on February 27 after they
finished filming at a village in Da Yan Ge Zhuang, Hebei province.
When
the crew left the village, their car was followed by four vehicles. Their car
was deliberately rammed and forced to a halt whereupon five or six people
surrounded their vehicle and proceeded to smash the windscreen using baseball
bats. Some of the attackers continued to attack the car despite two motorcycle
policemen arriving on the scene.
A
local resident told Adelhardt that he recognized one of the thug’s vehicles as
belonging to the village’s Communist Party secretary.
When
the attackers were detained in a police station, they claimed the news crew had
“offended” them because they did not ask for permission to film.
A
second incident occurred in Sheng Shui, Hong Kong on February 28. May Tse, a photographer
with the South China Morning Post,
was attacked by two suspected “parallel” traders after she took photos of them
from a bridge. Tse was injured in the assault.
“One
of them… slapped my face and hurt my right temple. They then yelled and pushed
me… a few times. I cried out… that I’m a female photographer,” Tse said. “This
is unacceptable. They do whatever they like... It is a public area where people
have the right to take photos.”
Both
the FCCC and the Hong Kong Photographer’s Association have expressed anger at
the incidents and have called for an investigation into the assaults.
“Sadly,
such behaviour is not unusual in Mainland China and has occasionally happened
in Hong Kong. Local government officials must understand the role of media. The
media should be allowed to carry out its professional responsibilities in a
public place without fear of harassment, intimidation or assault – particularly
if the media is investigating suspicious activity,” IFJ Asia-Pacific said.
The
IFJ urges the Governor of Hebei, Zhang Qingwei , and Leung Chun-Ying, the Chief
Executive of Hong Kong to send a clear message that there will be no tolerance of
criminal acts against the media. The IFJ calls on them to implement an education
campaign for government officials explaining the role of the media in the
community.
For
further information contact IFJ
Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950
The
IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
Find
the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
Find
the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific