Thursday, June 5, 2008

JAILED REPORTER WINS GOLDEN PEN AWARD!

In China, being a journalists can be very hazardous. But that does not stop some brave writers to write the truth. As in this case of one MR Li, a former deputy news director of a local daily paper in Fujian province.

Can you imagine he was jailed for 3 years. And what was his crime?.

The stupid government took offence to his article about disclosing in 2004 of a outbreak of dengue fever, before health officials alerted the public.

Imagine this, this reporter was printing the truth and he was charged in court for

Fabricating and spreading false information??....can you believe this Chinese government!

But his deed has not gone unnoticed. The world association of newspapers has awarded it’s grand prize “ the golden pen of freedom award” to Mr Li.

Li is the second Chinese journalist to win the award in consecutive years, the first time journalists from any country have won back-to-back Golden Pens in the award's 47-year history.

Last year's winner, Shi Tao, is still serving a 10-year sentence for writing an email about media restrictions in the run-up to the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 2004, and guess who fingered him to the authorities?.. yes it was Yahoo! So guys beware, Yahoo email may be international, but when pressured, they will reveal you name to the authorities, to save their skin!

There are about 30 journalists and 50 bloggers serving time in Chinese prisons.

Li was unable to obtain a visa to travel to the WAN award ceremony in Sweden and his wife, Bao Dinling, was prevented by Chinese authorities from boarding an aircraft at Beijing airport.

China has made paper-thin concessions to the idea of press freedom in recent years, mainly as a result of assurances made to the International Olympic Committee in return for Beijing being awarded the Olympics, but the situation remains perilous for journalists, who risk losing their job and often their liberty for exposing corruption or embarrassing government officials……an extract form theautralian

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