Uyghur journalists face unprecedented crackdown in China: Report

Beijing [China], January 19 : A recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has shed light on a troubling pattern in China, where nearly half of the journalists imprisoned in 2023 were identified as Uyghurs, Voice of America reported.
As many as 44 journalists are in jail and about half of them are Uyghurs. This shows Beijing's poor press freedom record and its human rights abuses against the majority-Muslim ethnic group, report added.
The data, offering a global overview of journalists incarcerated for their work as of December 1, paints a concerning picture of press freedom in China, especially concerning its treatment of the majority-Muslim ethnic group.
Among the 19 Uyghurs held, critics of the Chinese government often face charges of separatism and terrorism, according to Voice of America.
One prominent case highlighted in the report is that of academic and blogger Ilham Tohti, who marked a decade in custody this week. Arrested in January 2014, Tohti is serving a life sentence for alleged separatism. His case underscores the severe consequences faced by those critical of the Chinese government, with the court citing his interviews with foreign news outlets and his role as the founder of the Xinjiang news site Uighurbiz, which authorities shut down in 2014.
"For the Chinese government, Uyghur journalists are a dangerous group of people. They don't want them to say anything. They [Beijing] try to crack down on Uyghur journalists, particularly because they want to shut the Uyghur voice off," remarked Zubayra Shamseden from the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) in Washington.
Governments, including the US, have accused China of committing genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The UN Human Rights Office has raised concerns about crimes against humanity being perpetrated against Uyghurs.
The targeting of Uyghur reporters aligns with the broader persecution of Uyghur intellectuals and cultural figures in Xinjiang. A 2021 report by UHRP highlighted the detention of over 300 Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim intellectual and cultural elites in the region. The assault on intellectual and cultural figures is seen as a component of genocide, aiming to eradicate Uyghur cultural identity.
The CPJ report also reveals a global trend of silencing critical voices through journalist arrests, with 320 journalists held worldwide. CPJ Chief Executive Jodie Ginsberg emphasized the inherent threat perceived by those in power when journalists hold them accountable. In China, three out of the five new cases in CPJ's 2023 database involved reporters accused of espionage, inciting separatism, or subverting state power.
"Particularly in authoritarian regimes, we see this use of the law -- or misuse of the law -- to detain and silence journalists. And that's exactly what it's intended to do. It's intended to silence critical voices," noted Ginsberg.
The persecution of Uyghur journalists extends beyond China's borders, with individuals, especially journalists and activists, experiencing harassment or intimidation, a phenomenon known as transnational repression. Beijing applies pressure to prevent Uyghurs from speaking out and disclosing information deemed unfavourable by the Chinese government.
Responding to allegations of human rights abuses, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected claims that Beijing does not respect media freedom.
"The Chinese government protects press freedom in accordance with law and gives full play to the role of media and citizens in supervising public opinion," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson asserted that the Chinese government protects press freedom in accordance with the law and accused some in the US of spreading disinformation by smearing and attacking China, Voice of America reported.