BEIJING – The International Olympic Committee must press China to allow complete freedom for foreign media ahead of next year’s Beijing Summer Olympic Games, a human right’s group said yesterday.
China officially lifted many restrictions on overseas reporters operating in the country on Jan. 1, but harassment, detention and other obstacles to their work remain, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
Although such well-documented incidents are continuing, the IOC continues to say China will make good on its promise to allow greater openness. IOC President Jacques Rogge said journalists at the Games “will be able to report, you will be able to circulate, to engage with citizens.”
“The IOC’s reluctance to challenge the Chinese government’s ongoing violations of media freedoms is at odds with the Olympic Charter’s dedication to ‘ethical principles’ and ‘preservation of human dignity,’ ” Sophie Richardson, the group’s deputy Asia director, said in a statement.
Under the new rules, foreign reporters are supposed to be allowed to travel through most parts of the country, excluding Tibet, without fear of detention by local authorities.
However, numerous cases of journalists being held have been reported this year, including an incident in August directly in front of the offices of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee in which a score of writers, photographers and camera operators were physically prevented from leaving with no explanation given.
The new rules do not apply to journalists working for China’s entirely state-controlled media, who face strict controls on what they can report and publish and are subject to far greater financial, political and disciplinary pressures.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Liu Jianchao, questioned the validity of the claims, but said the government was willing to correct any shortfalls.
