FCC Statement - The Treatment of Reporters Seeking to Cover the Events Surrounding Chen Guangcheng in Beijing

7 May 2012

Mr Song Zhe
The Commissioner
Office of The Commissioner of
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
The People's Republic of China in the HKSAR
42 Kennedy Rd
Central HK

Dear Commissioner,

We write regarding the treatment of reporters seeking to cover the events surrounding Chen Guangcheng in Beijing.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong, strongly objects to the threats and harassment directed at both foreign correspondents and journalists from Hong Kong who are seeking to perform their professional duties.

Threatening the revocation of visas, and confiscating home return permits, are wholly objectionable acts of intimidation and suppression of press freedom. Such actions are retrograde and clearly do damage to China's image domestically and abroad.

We urge the authorities to cease such actions immediately, and give assurance that they will not be repeated.

We look forward to these assurances.

Sincerely,

Anna Healy Fenton
President

Douglas Wong
1st Vice-President

Francis Moriarty
2nd Vice-President