Foreign journalists harrassed despite new rules

Olympics

2 January 2008

Foreign journalists in China continue to be harassed despite more liberal rules concerning their activities implemented for the Beijing Olympics, AP reported. The Foreign Correspondents Club of China, based in Beijing, said it had received more than 180 reports of interference in reporters' work in the past year. Correspondents were beaten or intimidated in some cases, particularly in the Tibet and Xinjiang regions. The central government eased restrictions on foreign journalists at the start of 2007, allowing them to travel and conduct interviews outside major cities without having to apply for permission. The new rules will expire on October 31. Discussion of democracy, religious freedom and material deemed politically subversive is largely excluded from the domestic media, which remains tightly controlled by the government.

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