The International

Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns a group attack on three mainland China journalists who were reporting on an

accidental fire at a factory in Xiegang town in Dongguan city in China’s

in the south of the country on July 27.

Local sources told the IFJ that the journalists have been

identified as Dong Zhe from Guangzhou

Daily Newspaper, Mo Xiaodong from

Southern Metropolis Daily and Jiang

Yun of Yangcheng Evening News. 

Staff from the factory reportedly attacked the journalists, causing injuries on their faces and necks, and threatened them with death in an attempt to

block coverage of the incident.

Jiang’s photographs were forcibly deleted from his camera

and his notebook was destroyed.

Two of the attackers involved have reportedly been arrested

by police and fined.

Police arrested two people involved in the incident and have

ordered them to be detained for seven days and fined them 300 yuan (approximately

USD 45) each.

“It is

imperative that all citizens respect the non-partisan status of journalists in China, and refrain from violent retaliation against

individual journalists whose job it is to report news and protect the public’s

right to know,” IFJ General

Secretary Aidan White said.

The IFJ

reiterates its call to the China

government to actively encourage greater public respect for independent media

and explicitly acknowledge journalism as a profession conducted in the public

interest.

 “We believe that such recognition would be a key

component to a more open and free China.”

For further

information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ

represents over 600,000 journalists in

120 countries worldwide