China: Journalists from Xinjiang arrested, others sentenced

Earlier this year, China arrested two ethnic Kazakh journalists in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, while detained 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 on the media and calls for the swift release of all detained journalists.

According to a report by the US congressionally funded Radio Free Asia, two broadcast journalists from Chinese state-run media Xinjiang TV were arrested earlier this year. Their current whereabouts and status are unknown. Kairat Domalin and Kuandyk Koben were reportedly taken into police custody in April, and the reasons for their arrest are unclear.

In another case, detained journalist and prominent #MeToo activist Sophie Huang Xueqin was sentenced to five years in prison on June 14 for “inciting subversion of state power.” Huang, who has been in pretrial detention since September 2021, has seen her health deteriorate significantly since her arrest at Guangzhou airport nearly three years ago. According to supporters of Huang and detained labor rights activist Wang Jianbing, the journalist would also face four years of political rights deprivation and a fine of 100,000 CNY, about 13,750 USD. The sentence will take into account time already served.

Meanwhile, the US National Press Club reported in a press release on July 1 that the detention of journalist and writer Dong Yuyu has been extended until at least September 27, 2024. He was arrested in February 2022 on espionage charges during a meeting with a Japanese diplomat. The journalist was put on trial in July 2023, but a verdict has not yet been reached.

The IFJ stated: “Free media cannot exist when journalists can disappear for months without any information about their whereabouts or condition. As journalists and media workers in China continue to be arrested and detained under opaque conditions, the constitutional right to press freedom is being disregarded. The IFJ condemns the arrests and lengthy detention of Chinese media workers and calls for their immediate release.”