Thousands Protest China's Press Freedom Violations

Posted by Larry Kilman on July 31, 2008 at 9:33 AM

Journalists going to Beijing for the Olympics have just learned that China intends to censor internet access at the Olympic venues as they do in the rest of the country. And, in the run-up to the Olympics, China has time and again reneged on its promises to allow free reporting.

Journalists trying to do their jobs in China are not the only people concerned -- in recent weeks, some 3,500 newspaper readers have written to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao calling for the release of all jailed journalists in China.

Those readers were responding to public service advertisements from the World Association of Newspapers, published in newspapers in 20 countries, drawing attention to China's failure to honour its Olympic promises.

Something to think about as you watch the Olympics this summer: China is the world's biggest jailer of journalists, with 30 journalists and 50 cyber-dissidents behind bars.

Source: WAN