China: Xinjiang journalists arrested, others sentenced

Earlier this year, China arrested two ethnic Kazakh journalists in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, while jailed journalist and activist Sophie Huang Xueqin was sentenced to over five years in prison on June 14. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns China's legal attacks against the media and calls for the expedited release of all journalists in detention.

A police officer gestures in front of a propaganda billboard urging the "maintenance of rule of law in Xinjiang" in both Chinese and Uyghur languages on July 19, 2023 in Kashgar. Credit: Credit: Pedro Pardo / AFP

According to a report by the United States Congress-funded Radio Free Asia, two broadcast journalists with the Chinese-state-owned media enterprise Xinjiang TV were arrested earlier this year, with their current whereabouts or status unknown. Reportedly, Kairat Domalin and Kuandyk Koben were taken into police custody in April, with the reasons behind their arrest unclear.

In another incident, jailed journalist and prominent #MeToo activist Sophie Huang Xueqin was sentenced to five years in prison on June 14 under 'inciting subversion of state power' charges. Huang, who has been in pre-trial detention since September 2021, has experienced a significant decline in health since her arrest at Guangzhou airport nearly three years ago. According to supporters of Huang and jailed labour rights activist Wang Jianbing, the journalist would also be deprived of political rights for four years and face a fine of CNY 100,000, approximately USD 13,750. The sentence does take into consideration the time already served.

Meanwhile, on July 1, the United States' National Press Club reported in a press release that journalist and writer Dong Yuyu has had his detention extended until at least September 27, 2024, following his arrest in February 2022 on allegations of espionage while meeting with a Japanese diplomat. The journalist was tried in July 2023, with no verdict in the case provided.

The IFJ said: "A free media cannot exist when journalists can be disappeared for months at a time, with no information as to their whereabouts or condition. While journalists and media workers in China continue to face arrests and detentions in opaque conditions, the constitutional right of press freedom is denigrated. The IFJ condemns the arrests and prolonged detentions of Chinese media professionals and calls for their immediate release."