IPI Urges China to Grant Full Journalistic Access to Tibet

Meeting on April 5, in Vienna, Austria, the IPI Executive Board unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the Chinese government to grant all foreign journalists full access to Tibet and surrounding provinces, and to end its repeated efforts to suppress the free flow of information.

Ever since protests erupted in Tibet on 10 March, Chinese authorities have attempted to prevent information regarding this development from reaching both domestic and international audiences.

Journalists have either been ejected from or denied access to regions in which protests were occurring. Others have been verbally harassed and intimidated, with police closely monitoring their activities and, in some cases, seizing materials.

In the meantime, Internet users have been prohibited from referring to the events, international radio broadcasts have been jammed, news reports have been blacked out, and Websites blocked. Additionally, Chinese state media are misleading the public by providing one-sided coverage emphasizing only the violent elements of the protests.

The IPI Board condemns this widespread interference by Chinese authorities, and calls on them to respect the press’s right to report on matters of public interest. The IPI Board views these violations as particularly problematic in this sensitive period preceding the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and reminds the government of its promises of liberalized access made in connection with the event.

The IPI Board therefore calls on the international community to make concerted efforts to confront Chinese authorities regarding both these recent attacks on the press, as well as China’s continued failure to respect the right to freedom of expression of all Chinese journalists, who face censorship and interference by way of various means, particularly repressive national security laws.