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Human rights watchdog accuses China of breaking free press promise
Human Rights Watch said in a new report released Monday that the Chinese government continues to block and threaten foreign journalists despite repeated promises to lift media freedom restrictions ahead of the Olympic Games.
China promised to improve its human rights situation when applying to host the Olympic Games, and the State Council announced regulations freeing up reporting restrictions for foreign journalists at least from January 2007 to October this year.
But the 71-page report titled "China's Forbidden Zones: Shutting the Media out of Tibet and Other 'Sensitive' Stories" noted that despite progress made, a gap exists between government rhetoric and reality for foreign journalists.
"Since mid-2007, (media freedom) appears to have worsened. Many foreign correspondents we spoke with say they continue to face serious obstacles whenever the issues on which they wish to report are deemed 'sensitive' by central or local authorities," the report said.
It cites interviews with foreign journalists who faced restrictions or even threats for exposing issues such as corruption, petitions and social unrest.
The report criticized officials who have attempted to extort positive coverage from journalists by threatening to withhold their accreditation to cover the Olympic Games.
Sophie Richardson, the organization's Asia advocacy director, blamed the International Olympic Committee and business sponsors for not doing much to ensure China honors its promises.
The report suggested establishing a 24-hour hot line for foreign journalists to report violations of media freedom, making potential Olympic hosts' human rights records an explicit factor in decisions and creating an IOC standing committee on human rights to incorporate human rights standards into the games. Human Rights Watch said in a new report released Monday that the Chinese government continues to block and threaten foreign journalist... more -
President Kennedy Warned Of Secret Societies Back In 1960, Can We Stop Them Now ?
President John Kennedy,in one of his most memorable speeches, spoke and warned our nation of the dangers of secret societies and the shadow government. In doing so,he was fearless. It cost him his life. So where are today ? Are we as a people as fearless as he was,or was his death in vain, because today people are afraid to speak up or speak out, or is it because most of mainstream media has been bought and sold,and just become a big propaganda machine we choose to listen to and believe ,in fear of reprisal and being called "unpatriotic" ?
I believe that everyone,candidates and voters, should be required to watch this film, atleast the first part where he is warning us as a nation of what the consequences were for us,if we didn't take a moral inventory of ourselves, collectively. I believe that the same questions should be ask to all candidates for office and not just the presidency of the United States.
Once a candidate takes office,does he now really have the ability to establish change, or is there a perpetrator that is woven so deep within,that he has no power his own, and he is now simply just ready a script ?
It frighten my wife to death that I write articles like this, I cannot help it .I was a third grader in Clovis,New Mexico, coming in from lunch break when the teacher sat us down and told the classroom of his assasination. I was terrified. I didn't understand the meaning behind it.Years later, when Dr.King and his brother Bobby were killed, I began to understand, but it only made me angry.This election has evoked those memories, because history is being made right before our very own with Senator Barack Obama. This is not to say that he can fill the shoes of either three of these men, but his platform is about change, and if he is true to his platform, how much changed is possible from the oval office and how much of a possibility is change from us as a people? With so much to change, where do we start ? Some of us don't want change, because we really believe that it will cost to much of ourselves to make it better for everybody.That's the part that frightens me the most. If it does not affect me, then why should I vote for change ? President John Kennedy,in one of his most memorable speeches, spoke and warned our nation of the dangers of secret societies and the ... more -
Wikileaks turning international heads
Over the last few weeks, Wikileaks has made it into the news. This time it wasn't just exposing some unethical behavior of a corporation or government. This time a US federal court ordered them to be taken down at the request of a Swiss Bank that was exposed by the site for laundering money. A few days later, Wikileaks is back and getting a lot of international recognition for what it does. Over the last few weeks, Wikileaks has made it into the news. This time it wasn't just exposing some unethical behavior of a corporati... more
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Radio Free Nepal
Mohan Bista, a fearless and determined man who established the first independent radio network in South Asia, describes his struggle to broadcast news during times of political unrest in Nepal. Mohan Bista, a fearless and determined man who established the first independent radio network in South Asia, describes his struggle t... more
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Musharraf finally lifts ban on TV channel
Geo News began broadcasting again yesterday after Musharraf lifted a ban on the TV station that he imposed almost six weeks ago during his state of emergency. But, it's not free to do whatever it pleases. Geo News had to agree to a code of conduct, limiting criticism of Musharraf, before going back on air. So in other words, they're opened for censored business. I can't imagine that is going to be good for Pakistan's hopes to restore democracy. Geo News began broadcasting again yesterday after Musharraf lifted a ban on the TV station that he imposed almost six weeks ago during... more
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Some Truths Are Intolerable
A global network of spies, deception and political pressure must be overcome to prevent the further suffering of innocence. Some Truths Are Intolerable is a short film about the persecution of Falun Dafa (a peaceful spiritual practice from China), at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). From 1992-1999 Falun Dafa was freely followed throughout China, until the government decided that there were too many people studying the energy exercises and meditation. The CCP banned the practice and immediately declared up to 100million innocent people as being criminals. Since then, thousands have been tortured to death for their beliefs, hundreds of thousands are in slave labour camps, and millions have had their lives ruined by their own government. It is the intention of What Is Tough (a project dedicated to releasing a feature film about this issue) to bring to the public's attention this global disaster, before the Olympic Games are held in Beijing, in August of 2008. The atrocities covered in the film continue to this day.
Please visit www.whatistough.com for more information on the project and please sign-up to Current TV to vote for this film, so that more people become aware of the truth about Falun Dafa, because some truths are intolerable!
Thank you.
A global network of spies, deception and political pressure must be overcome to prevent the further suffering of innocence. Some Truth... more -
Iran Gives Canadian Ambassador the 'Boot!
It's all too easy to imagine the signature smirk on Amedinajad's face.
Iran (ah)booted the Canadian ambassador out of Tehran after Canada decided not to approve Iran's proposed diplomatic representation in Ottawa.
That's today's news.
What really caught my attention though was what the article noted below.
An intelligence services interrogator, Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, was tried for the fatal beating of a Canadian-Iranian journalist in 2003 and was acquitted of "semi-intentional murder".
The absurdity of the concept of "semi-intentional murder" approaches what you might expect to hear from "Ahmadinejad" in a Human Rights Edition of SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy sketch.
In this case, however, the court decided he didn't "somewhat mean to kill" the journalist. But, doesn't that sound suspiciously like deciding his intention was clear? It's all too easy to imagine the signature smirk on Amedinajad's face. ... more -
Gagged in Pakistan
A film about the diminishing freedom of Pakistani journalists...
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Yahoo Asks Forgiveness
The company passed information to the Chinese government in 2004 about one of its users without knowledge of why the request was being made. That user, Chinese journalist Shi Tao, was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison for divulging state secrets. Yahoo has offered an apology for the oversight.
Shi Tao worked as a journalist for the daily Dangdai Shang Bao newspaper. While working as a reporter in 2004, he received a document that was sent by Beijing to several news organizations around the country instructing them not to report on events related to the upcoming 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests of 1989. Shi used his Yahoo email account to send information about that document overseas to the Asian Democracy Foundation. The Chinese government considered this a breach of state secrecy, and, as a result, began an investigation.
The case of Shi Tao is one of several that, critics have charged, proves that Yahoo has been a willing collaborator in league with Chinese communist officials in censoring free speech in general, and the Internet in particular, in China a claim Yahoo denies. In 2006, according to The Hill, Yahoo "had assured Congress that it did not know about 'the nature of the investigation' when it handed over the information" to Chinese authorities that led to Shi's arrest and conviction.
The company passed information to the Chinese government in 2004 about one of its users without knowledge of why the request was being... more -
Radio Free Nepal
Mohan Bista, a fearless and determined man who established the first independent radio network in South Asia, describes his struggle to broadcast news during times of political unrest in Nepal. Mohan Bista, a fearless and determined man who established the first independent radio network in South Asia, describes his struggle t... more
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France Censors
A new law just passed in France makes it illegal to film and broadcast acts of violence. A step forward against viral video violence or a step backward for civil liberties? A new law just passed in France makes it illegal to film and broadcast acts of violence. A step forward against viral video violence o... more
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Press Freedom
