China slammed for press freedom record

Goteborg, Sweden: China has once again come under the spotlight as the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has decided for the second consecutive year to give this year's Golden Pen of Freedom Award to a Chinese journalist.

The recipient, Li Changqing, has served a three-year prison sentence for his reporting of an outbreak of dengue fever in the city of Fuzhou in 2004, before the authorities made the incident public.

Choosing a Chinese candidate was not a coincident, but a choice for WAN which recently launched a campaign criticising the Chinese government over its restrictive measures against the media in the country.

"China has the dubious distinction of being the world's biggest jailer of journalists" regardless of promises to ease restrictions following its bid to host the 2008 Olympics, George Brock, the outgoing president of World Editors Forum (WEF), said in his speech at the opening of WAN's 61st congress meeting here.

Criticism

Brock was also critical of voices calling for dialogue and "engagement" as a means of making the Chinese authorities open up to the world. "These are false alternatives", he said, pointing out that WEF has tried to "engage" with Chinese authorities, and that China had failed to reciprocate.

In fact, the Chinese authorities have asked the China Newspaper Association to boycott coverage of any of this conference's functions, he said.

WAN ensured that its agenda was in focus and the opening ceremony fulfilled this goal. This year's winner was not in attendance to receive his award - and neither was his wife, who was barred by the Chinese authorities from travelling to Sweden to receive the award on his behalf, according to WAN.

Instead, Changqing's speech was read on his behalf by Li Jianhong, a fellow writer and activist who was also jailed and persecuted by the authorities.

Destiny

"Although I have now been thoroughly expelled from the ranks of [China's] journalists, I am however grateful that destiny arranged it for me to become a journalist, in the defence of whose dignity, honesty and sacred name I paid the price. I have never regretted this," said Changqing.

The ceremony also recognised journalist Shi Tao, last year's award recipient, who has already served a four-year jail term and has four more years to go.