IFJ demands release of filmmaker Du Bin, asks China to cease suppression of press freedom
Dec 21, 2020
Brussels, [Belgium], December 22 : The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Monday urged China to release Chinese journalist and filmmaker Du Bin and called on authorities to cease their suppression of press freedom and journalist independence.
Du, who is known for highlighting human rights violations in China through his work, was arrested on Wednesday last week.
Friends of the 48-year-old former photojournalist said Du was being held at a detention centre in Daxing district, accused of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" - catch-all charge police often used to stifle dissent, South China Morning Post reported.
His family had been warned not to speak to the media, the friends said, the Post added.
"The vague and unjustified allegations against Du are often used by Chinese authorities to crack down on activists and citizen journalists. IFJ calls for Du's immediate release and urges authorities to cease their suppression of press freedom and journalist independence," the watchdog said in a statement as quoted by Sputnik.
Lawyer Wang Yu tweeted that Du was taken away by police on Wednesday. Du who formerly worked for The New York Times as a freelance photographer, had to stop working due to the pressure by the Chinese authorities in 2011.
Du has produced a number of well-known documentaries focusing on human rights violations and political events in China and published several books on the Communist Party's history.
In 2013, he was held for 37 days after he released a documentary exposing the inhumane treatment of Falun Gong practitioners at a labour reform facility in Shenyang in the northeastern province of Liaoning.
Wu Yangwei, a Guangzhou-based activist, said Du's detention could be related to his publishing projects.
"The authorities have already significantly tightened control over the media and the internet in China and are extending control over publishing overseas now, as well as the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter outside China," Wu said.
Du's criticism of the authorities made him both vulnerable and an obvious target, Wu said.
