The Board of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on 2 June 2013 during the 65th World Newspaper Congress and 20th World Editors Forum, calls on the Chinese government to free all imprisoned journalists and put an end to its attacks on freedom of expression.
Recent data shows at least 32 journalists are held in Chinese prisons, making the country one of the world’s worst jailers of media professionals. Among them is 2007 Golden Pen of Freedom laureate, Shi Tao, who was imprisoned in 2004 and is currently serving a 10-year sentence.
The Board reiterates its call for the release of Shi Tao, and all other journalists imprisoned or held without charge in connection to their work.
The Board also calls on the Chinese authorities to cease their pursuit and harassment of netizens and bloggers who are increasingly targets of repression. The Board calls on China to reverse its persistent, yet untenable battle to stifle the Internet and encourages the authorities to instead welcome a more open and participatory information age.
Despite heavy policing, the sheer force of online numbers has nonetheless allowed Chinese Internet users to expose a range of issues faster than the official censors have been able to react. Political corruption, economic mismanagement, and safety concerns - all topics that have breached the Great Firewall in recent years - are undeniably in the public interest.
The Board of WAN-IFRA therefore calls on the Chinese authorities to recognise an unrestricted media, in whatever form, as an aid to promoting a more prosperous, equitable and just society, rather than as a political threat to be eradicated.
