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‘At All Costs’ – Journalist Safety No. 1 Priority: RFA President

by RFA communications

[image: image.png] Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2023 ‘At All Costs’ – Journalist Safety No. 1 Priority: RFA President WASHINGTON - Marking World Press Freedom Day, Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english> (RFA) President Bay Fang reiterated the vulnerability of front-line journalists and the shared duty to protect them amid a global rise in attacks on independent media. This year’s theme of freedom of expression as a driver of all rights speaks to RFA’s founding mission and its sustained role as a trusted news source for a weekly audience of almost 60 million in some of the world’s most repressive places. “Freedom of the press is the backbone of a free society, the open sharing of ideas and information critical to upholding the rule of law and safeguarding human rights. But today, on the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, those very liberties are under siege,” Fang said. “Authoritarian regimes increasingly harass, threaten, and detain journalists and their families in an effort to suppress the truth from their citizens and the world. “Empowering people with knowledge and facts about their communities and beyond is the goal of independent journalism. We must rise to meet this moment to ensure the safety and well being of reporters at all costs.” In RFA’s target regions, press freedom continues to decline, as malign actors in China, North Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and elsewhere, target independent media. Notably, Chinese authorities have detained and jailed family members of RFA’s Uyghur Service, while RFA journalists in Vietnam <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/radio-free-asia-condemns-sentencing-of-v…>, Cambodia <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-passport-10282022162536.…>, Myanmar, and Europe have either been imprisoned, harassed, or investigated, or have endured transnational repression <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/harassment-03202023133743.html>. Many of these journalists are highlighted in a special series and feature page, launched today on RFA’s website <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/asia/world-press-freedom-day-0502202311493…> and its social media <https://www.instagram.com/radiofreeasia/?hl=en> platforms. Despite the challenges they face, RFA’s reporters produced some of its most impactful work over the past year. Most notably, RFA’s Chinese services’ timely coverage of the historic “White Paper” protests in China led to record-breaking engagement on social media, as audiences distrustful of state narratives turned to RFA for information. Their timely coverage of the protests was also lauded <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/04/china-protests-xi-covid-…> by The Washington Post editorial board. Additionally, RFA Myanmar’s in-depth investigation into a cache of gruesome photos and videos on a junta soldier’s lost cell phone <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-soldier-atrocities/index.h…>, served as the first piece of hard evidence of the Myanmar military’s brutality and war crimes in the Sagaing region. Other highlights include RFA Khmer’s investigation into a Chinese detainee-turned Cambodian diplomat’s hidden stake <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-wang-yaohui-052020221725…> in a major English soccer club, and RFA Vietnamese’s extensive coverage of a major price-gouging scandal <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/expel-06062022162936.html> involving Covid-19 tests that toppled several senior officials in the country. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 1 month

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RFA digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT a first-place winner at Human Rights Press Awards

by RFA communications

[image: image.png] Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2023 RFA digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT a first-place winner at Human Rights Press Awards WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english>’s (RFA) online brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT was today named a first-place winner at this year’s Human Rights Press Awards <https://humanrightspressawards.org/> for its mini-documentary, Surviving Online Abuse <https://www.wainao.me/wainao-watches/online-abuse-documentary-en>. The project, which follows four survivors of online abuse who reflect on their psychological trauma, won in the Documentary Chinese category of the Human Rights Watch and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications-sponsored competition, which was previously based in Hong Kong. “On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, it is fitting that RFA’s digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT was named a winner at this year’s Human Rights Press Awards,” RFA Executive Editor Min Mitchell said. “Their eye-opening documentary on cyberbullying on the Chinese internet reveals underreported truths about Chinese repression and speaks to the exact principles RFA - and World Press Freedom Day - stand for. We couldn’t be prouder of their incredible work.” 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s winning documentary is part of a broader project The Chinese Internet’s Hidden Victims: Uncovering and Healing the Scars of Online Abuse <https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/uncovering-and-healing-the-scars-of-onli…>, which investigates the Chinese cyber space, and the abuse many social media users experience. Despite filters and controls, research showed how cyberbullying persists and is encouraged by authorities on state-controlled platforms like WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo. For this investigation, 歪脑 | WHYNOT conducted an online survey in February 2022, collecting and examining data from over 2000 respondents from 220 cities in mainland China. Through interviews with witnesses, survivors, former abusers, scholars and researchers, 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s findings revealed damning statistics about the extent of online abuse and the psychological trauma victims experience. Formerly sponsored by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong, the Human Rights Press Awards resumed this year for the first time since 2020, after being suspended amid a severe crackdown on independent media in Hong Kong. The awards recognize outstanding reporting on human rights issues in Asia, with the goal of increasing respect for people’s basic rights and raising awareness of the threats imposed on those freedoms. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 1 month

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RFA a Five-Time Winner at 2023 New York Festivals

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2023 RFA a Five-Time Winner at 2023 New York Festivals <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-a-five-time-winner-at-2023-new-york-…> Mandarin and Korean Services, and 歪脑 | WHYNOT Net Top Honors WASHINGTON—Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english>’s (RFA) Mandarin and Korean Services, as well its online global Mandarin brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT, took home five awards at last night’s New York Festivals <https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/> Storytelling Gala. RFA’s Mandarin Service and 歪脑 | WHYNOT each received two medals, with RFA’s Korean Service winning one. The recognized projects examine topics such as the trauma women endure under China’s “one-child” policy, the challenges Chinese adopted children face, the physical and emotional scars of Korean War POWs, and the work of Chinese political cartoonists amid the CCP’s crackdown on dissent, among other issues. “Congratulations to the fantastic teams of RFA Mandarin, RFA Korean and 歪脑 | WHYNOT,” RFA President Bay Fang said. "Their determined journalism delves into such complex, human issues as the toll of China's birth restrictions and the legacy of the Korean War, as well as spotlighting creative political expression amid censorship. “These winning projects exemplify RFA’s greater mission of bringing answers, empowerment, and accountability to people living in repressive places.” Details on the RFA winners follows: - RFA Mandarin’s silver medal-winning project The CCP Owns Your Womb - Tragedies of China’s Birth Control Policy <https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/ytbdzhuantixilie/jisheng> documents the brutal violence <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/women-trafficking-03082022070912.html> and rights violations against women amid China’s birth quotas. Its bronze medal-winning mini-documentary Seeking Love: The Story of Chinese Adoptees in the US <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnAhnQvDo84&t=171s> follows two college students who had been adopted as children by American parents, and their struggle grappling with their identity. - RFA’s digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s silver medal-winning video Two Years of WHYNOT <https://youtu.be/s4itoKXg46A> is a stop-motion promo that celebrates the brand’s second anniversary. Its bronze-winning video series Art behind the wall <https://www.wainao.me/wainao-watches/series/129/Art-Behind-the-Wall%20%20/2> introduces Chinese political cartoonists, exploring their work and inspiration. - RFA Korean’s bronze-winning report Tattooed: Indelible Scar of Prisoners of War <https://www.rfa.org/korean/news_indepth/koreanwarspecial-11222022122437.html> - a joint project with RFA Mandarin - unites the stories of five POWs from the U.S., South Korea, and China, who reflect on their painful memories of the Korean War amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition, four other projects from RFA’s Mandarin and Korean Services and 歪脑 | WHYNOT were listed as finalists. Other winners at this year’s competition include The Washington Post, NPR, BBC, and ABC News. The New York Festival TV & Film and Radio awards is a yearly competition honoring work from over 50 countries that mirrors today’s global trends. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 1 month

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RFA Welcomes Deborah Chamberlin as Chief People Officer

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2023 RFA Welcomes Deborah Chamberlin as Chief People Officer <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-welcomes-deborah-chamberlin-as-chief…> WASHINGTON—Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings answers, accountability, and empowerment to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today named Deborah Chamberlin as its Chief People Officer (CPO). Chamberlin brings more than 20 years of human resources and recruitment experience at global nonprofits and in the private sector. “Debbie is an exceptional individual whose substantial experience strengthening workforces at top international nonprofits will be crucial to RFA,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “She will help our organization to continue attracting the talent needed to drive us forward as a world-class media organization on which millions worldwide depend for timely and accurate news.” “I’m delighted to be joining RFA as its Chief People Officer during this historic period of growth for the company,” Chamberlin said. “RFA’s journalists and staff provide its audiences with vital information through its ever-important brand of journalism. It’s an honor to help lead the effort to build up RFA’s incredible team and boost its global impact.” Serving on RFA’s senior management team, Chamberlin will oversee the organization’s Human Resources department, managing staffing, employee relations and talent acquisition. Prior to joining RFA, Chamberlin served as Director of Talent Acquisition at FHI 360 where she managed a team responsible for full cycle recruiting for over 500 US-based and international positions annually. Among other previous roles, Chamberlin held senior-level positions at international nonprofits including SRI Executive Search & Strategy, Management Sciences for Health and Development Alternatives, Inc. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at the University of Washington. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 1 month

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RFA Condemns Sentencing of Vietnamese Blogger Nguyen Lan Thang

by Rohit Mahajan

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2023 Radio Free Asia Condemns Sentencing of Vietnamese Blogger Nguyen Lan Thang WASHINGTON— A Hanoi court today sentenced prominent political activist and long-time RFA contributing blogger Nguyen Lan Thang <http://rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/activist-propaganda-case-04112023165002…> to six years in prison on charges of spreading “anti-state propaganda.” He is among four jailed RFA contributors in Vietnam, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Truong Duy Nhat and Nguyen Van Hoa. RFA President Bay Fang issued the following statement: “Today’s conviction of Nguyen Lan Thang is both a miscarriage of justice and an assault on free expression in Vietnam. The outrageous harassment he has endured and his sentencing to six years in prison demonstrate the extent to which Vietnamese authorities will go to silence independent journalists and voices. “Nguyen Lan Thang shared his perspectives and opinions online with a sense of responsibility and duty, but never with malice or disrespect. Nevertheless he is among four RFA contributors in Vietnam who have been ensnared by the government in an effort to censor and purge. Radio Free Asia calls for the immediate release of Nguyen Lan Thang and for all charges against him to be dropped.” # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. -- *Rohit Mahajan* *Chief Communications Officer* *Radio Free Asia*

2 years, 1 month

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RFA Mandarin Wins Gracie Award for Human Trafficking Series

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2023 RFA Mandarin Wins Gracie Award for Human Trafficking Series <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-mandarin-wins-gracie-award-for-human…> WASHINGTON—Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english>’s (RFA) Mandarin Service was today named among the winners at this year’s Gracie Awards <https://allwomeninmedia.org/gracies/> for its four-part series, Abduction and Trafficking of Women in China: A True Story and Analysis <https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/ytbdzhuantixilie/beiguai>. The project, a collaboration between two of RFA Mandarin’s veteran journalists, won in the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation-sponsored contest’s category for best non-English programs. “Full credit for this achievement goes to the fantastic team at RFA’s Mandarin Service, which continues to produce thought-provoking and impactful stories,” said RFA President Bay Fang. “They have the critical and increasingly difficult job of spotlighting sensitive topics for our Chinese audiences like this that are either suppressed or underreported by state-controlled media. “RFA’s exposé on the trafficking of women in China is a testament to our journalists’ persistence.” In the first two parts of the winning project, which debuted in March 2022, RFA Mandarin reporter Jane Tang interviews Dong Ru, a woman who was abducted and sold to a family in a rural province in China. The third installment follows her son, who details the psychological trauma he developed growing up in an abducted family, and how he helped his mother escape the painful marriage she was sold into. In the fourth and final episode, RFA Mandarin journalist Wang Yun provides a comprehensive analysis of the ongoing human trafficking crisis in China. Other winners at this year’s competition include The Washington Post, NPR, CBS, and VICE Media. They will be honored at the 48th Annual Gracie Awards Gala in Los Angeles on May 23. Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) is a non-profit that creates educational programs and scholarship initiatives to benefit the public and women in the media. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 2 months

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RFA Names News Standards Editor and Investigative Team Director

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2023 RFA Names News Standards Editor and Investigative Team Director <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-names-news-standards-editor-and-inve…> WASHINGTON — Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> named Steve Springer as its News Standards & Best Practices Editor and Boer Deng as Director of RFA’s new Investigative Team — two newly created roles. “Steve and Boer both bring a wealth of exceptional newsroom experience that will benefit RFA immensely in these new roles,” Min Mitchell, RFA’s Executive Editor, said. “As RFA’s News Standards & Best Practices Editor, Steve - who has devoted a lifetime to journalistic excellence - will work closely with our language services to ensure the quality and credibility of RFA’s reporting. “Leading RFA’s new Investigative Team, Boer will oversee the production of in-depth reporting in tandem with our language services that will bring to light consequential developments affecting our audiences.” Springer and Deng join RFA amid an ongoing editorial and operational expansion, offering unique journalistic skill sets honed from experience working at top-tier outlets. As News Standards & Best Practices Editor, Springer will provide senior-level advice and day-to-day guidance to RFA’s and RFA digital brand BenarNews’ journalists to further enhance the organization’s journalistic quality and standards. Most recently Springer served as the first Standards Editor at RFA sister network VOA. During his tenure in this role, which began in 2010, he established a Best Practices Guide that is regularly updated and distributed to all VOA staff. Prior to that he was VOA’s Managing Editor of its News Center, where he led an effort to reorganize its operations. Before joining VOA, Steve worked in a variety of roles for CNN, where he and other CNN staff received a Peabody Award for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina. He was also cited by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for CNN’s coverage of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As Director of RFA’s newly-formed Investigative Team, Deng will oversee a team of journalists, producers and content specialists, which will produce in-depth investigative stories in English and RFA’s nine target languages. She most recently worked for BBC News in Washington as North America commissioning editor for digital, overseeing the production of features and news and helping to grow the BBC’s reach and reputation as a trusted media source across the continent. Prior to that she was Washington correspondent for The Times of London for five years. She has also written for The Economist and Nature magazine. RFA continues to build out its existing operations and language services, while standing up new initiatives, such as the Investigative Team, and overhauling its technical infrastructure to meet challenges. These efforts underway include hiring for newly created positions within its Uyghur Service and its global Mandarin digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT, expanding RFA’s Taipei bureau, launching a fact-checking unit to track and counter manipulated false narratives, and increasing its reporting capacity in the broader Asia-Pacific region. These initiatives and enhancement efforts will advance RFA’s mission of bringing answers, accountability, and empowerment to audiences living in oppressive places and regions vulnerable to malign media influence. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 3 months

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RFA Names Ginny Stein as Southeast Asia Managing Editor

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 5, 2022 RFA Names Ginny Stein as Southeast Asia Managing Editor <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-names-ginny-stein-as-southeast-asia-…> WASHINGTON – Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings answers, accountability, and empowerment to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today named Ginny Stein as its new Southeast Asia Managing Editor. Stein brings more than two decades of experience in journalism, working as a foreign correspondent and broadcaster across radio, TV and digital platforms, as well as managing overseas media operations. She replaces Mat Pennington, who is now serving as RFA’s Senior Managing Editor. “Ginny is a superb newsroom leader, whose extensive experience both as a journalist and strategic planner will be invaluable to RFA,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “As we work to meet the immense challenges facing audiences in authoritarian areas in Southeast Asia, Ginny is the perfect fit to help drive our coverage in the region forward.” “I’m excited to be joining RFA during this historic period of growth for the organization,” Stein said. “I have tremendous respect for RFA’s mission of bringing timely news to audiences who would otherwise be left in the dark. That mission is as crucial as ever in Southeast Asia and I am honored to have this opportunity to boost RFA’s impact in the region.” Stein will oversee RFA’s coverage of its Southeast Asia programming. She will manage the daily operations and long-term plans for RFA’s Burmese, Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese services. Prior to joining RFA, Stein worked for two decades as a multimedia journalist, filling a number of roles including foreign correspondent and camerawoman for Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where she was appointed the public broadcaster’s first female Southeast Asia correspondent to Bangkok. During her tenure as a journalist, Stein produced stories in Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and the Pacific. She is a three-time winner of Australia’s highest journalist award for stories she filmed in Myanmar, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. In addition, Stein previously served as Director at Blue Sky Vision Vanuatu, where she developed strategic communications plans and international reporting and content production for a wide range of news organizations including the Guardian, ITV UK, Al Jazeera, SBS Australia TV and RFA sister network Voice of America. Stein earned her Master’s Degree in Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development from the University of Newcastle in Australia and her Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 6 months

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Washington Post editorial spotlights jailed RFA journalists

by Rohit Mahajan

ICYMI *The Washington Post* brings attention to *four Radio Free Asia contributors behind bars in Vietnam *in today's opinion pages. These contributors are among the persecuted in the one-party state's crackdown on free speech and a free press. Calling for their immediate and unconditional release, *RFA President Bay Fang tweeted about them last week* - as member countries, including Vietnam, gathered for the ASEAN Summit (link *HERE <https://twitter.com/bayfang/status/1591071418263175169?s=20&t=BFk7kkyDRYH--…>*) in Phnom Penh. Read the *Post*'s full editorial here ... https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/17/vietnam-journalists-face… Kind regards, Rohit -- *Rohit Mahajan* *Chief Communications Officer* *Radio Free Asia*

2 years, 6 months

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RFA Welcomes Gijsbrecht de Leede as new CFO ‘at an historic time’

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/11/22 RFA Welcomes Gijsbrecht de Leede as new CFO ‘at an historic time’ <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-welcomes-gijsbrecht-de-leede-as-new-…> WASHINGTON – Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english> (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings answers, accountability, and empowerment to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today announced Gijsbrecht de Leede as its new Chief Financial Officer. De Leede brings almost two decades of experience overseeing and managing financial departments of multi-million dollar nonprofits and media corporations. De Leede will replace Patrick Taylor Jr., RFA’s founding CFO, who will retire in January 2023 after serving RFA since its incorporation in March 1996. “Gijs is a proven leader whose experience managing the finances at mission-driven nonprofits and growing media companies will greatly benefit RFA,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “He joins RFA at an historic time of growth for the company, as we put plans in place to meet the immense, present-day challenges facing free speech and free press globally and in Asia. As chief financial officer, Gijs will be an essential partner in driving the structural changes and operational expansion crucial to RFA’s future. “Also, on behalf of all of us at RFA, I must extend our heartfelt thanks to Patrick Taylor for his incredible service to RFA from its very beginning. As a founder and a steward of RFA’s finances, Patrick has been integral to RFA’s lasting success. We wish him all the best in his retirement.” “I am thrilled to be RFA’s new chief financial officer during such an exciting time for the company,” de Leede said. “RFA lifts up millions in Asia and around the world through its incisive brand of journalism. I embrace this opportunity to be part of a grand effort to maximize the impact of RFA’s amazing journalists.” At RFA, de Leede will manage the overall financial affairs of the organization in addition to serving as the Treasurer to RFA’s Board of Directors. He will also play a key role in RFA’s expansion, which was made possible through a late-year budget increase from Congress. These plans, already underway, include launching an investigative unit to expose malfeasance and ensure accountability in Asia, creating a fact-checking unit to counter authoritarian disinformation, enhancing RFA’s China services and global Mandarin brand, and expanding coverage in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as upgrading technical infrastructure. Prior to joining RFA, de Leede was the CFO of Children’s Defense Fund, where he oversaw the finance department for a $45+ million revenue. Prior to that, from July 2013 to August 2014, he worked as a Controller at Experience Works Inc., where he managed a $100 million U.S. Department of Labor Senior Community Service Employment Program. Among other roles, he has also held senior financial positions at Atlantic Media and National Geographic Society. He earned his CPA in the state of Maryland and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 8 months

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RFA Welcomes New Members to its Board

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 07/21/22 RFA Welcomes New Members to its Board <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-welcomes-new-members-to-its-board> Shanthi Kalathil and Allison Hooker Join RFA’s Governing Body WASHINGTON -- Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA), a private nonprofit corporation, today announced the additions of Shanthi Kalathil and Allison Hooker to its Board of Directors. Kalathil, who recently served on the National Security Council (NSC) as Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights, and Hooker, who currently serves as senior vice president at American Global Strategies (AGS), were approved at the July board meeting. “We’re thrilled to expand RFA’s board with both Shanthi and Allison, who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise,” said RFA President Bay Fang. “With Shanthi’s profound work on China and the information space, and Allison’s extensive background in North Korea and Asia foreign policy, RFA will benefit enormously. I’m delighted to work with them during this exciting time of growth for RFA.” “I have a deep admiration for RFA’s incisive brand of journalism and am honored to join its board,” Kalathil said. “RFA has filled a critical role in combating Chinese disinformation and providing timely news to millions in Asia who would otherwise be in the dark. I look forward to helping RFA achieve and accomplish more.” “It’s an immense privilege to join RFA’s board of directors,” Hooker said. “As malign actors in Asia relentlessly subvert democracy and human rights, RFA plays a leading role in pushing back on authoritarian propaganda. I am excited to help this organization tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead.” Prior to her appointment at the NSC, Kalathil served as the senior director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. She also held various positions at other international affairs organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. Early in her career she worked as a reporter at the Asian Wall Street Journal before transitioning to policy and academia. Before her time at AGS, Hooker held senior positions within the White House, serving as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the NSC and as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Korean Peninsula. Previously, she was a senior analyst for North Korea in the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research and worked as the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in South Korea. The two new board members join Chair Carolyn Bartholomew, Commissioner of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission; Michael J. Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre (USSC); Michael Kempner, Founder, President and CEO of public relations firm MikeWorldWide (MWW); and Keith Richburg, Director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 10 months

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RFA Breaking News: 'I had to cut off the head, bro': Myanmar troops swap slaughter stories

by Paul Eckert

‘I had to cut off the head, bro’: Myanmar soldiers swap slaughter stories By Khin Maung Soe and Nayrein Kyaw for RFA Burmese June 17, 2022 - Two armed men stand behind a tangle of bodies leaking blood which congeals in the dust. Each of the five victims is blindfolded, hands tied behind their back, and appear to have been killed by gunfire or a blade to the throat. The armed men – one with his rifle slung over his shoulder and the other smoking a cigarette – strike a nonchalant pose that is recorded for posterity in a series of grisly photos captured on a soldier’s phone. These graphic images are among a cache of files recently obtained by RFA Burmese that document atrocities apparently committed by soldiers during military operations in Myanmar’s war-torn Sagaing region. The files include a video in which those two same armed men joke about how many people they have killed, and how they have killed them. The contents were retrieved from a cell phone that was found by a villager in Sagaing’s Ayadaw township where the military had been conducting raids amid an offensive against the anti-junta People’s Defense Force (PDF) paramilitary group. An intermediary who obtained the video and photos forwarded them to RFA in Washington. Among the many images is one of about 30 men with their hands tied behind their backs on the grounds of a monastery. Two of what appear to be the same men are seen dead in the photos taken a day later of the five victims of execution. Another series of photos shows a young man with his arms bound behind him, his face puffy and bloodied. An outstretched hand holds his chin up, forcing him to look into the camera, while a second hand holds a knife to his chest over his heart. The images also include many ‘selfie’ photos of a soldier, seemingly the phone’s owner. He also features in the video and the photos of the dead bodies. The 10-and-a-half-minute video shows him and two other men mugging for the camera and chatting in crude terms about the number of people they have killed and what they did with the bodies. The phone’s owner, who wears a wide smile and sometimes slurs his words, has a hand grenade pinned to his chest. More armed men can be seen in the background. “You said you killed 26 people. How did you kill them? Just shooting them with a gun?” asks the phone’s owner of one of his fellow soldiers. “Of course, we killed them with our guns. But not with our hands,” the soldier responds. “For us, we even killed a lot by slitting their throats. I, myself, killed five,” the phone’s owner says. “I have never [slit throats],” the third soldier chimes in. The second soldier then reconsiders his personal tally of death. “I think eight,” he says. “I killed eight [by slitting throats].” Clues in the images A closer look at the photos provides proof that these men serve in Myanmar’s military. Soldiers in the photos sport the arm badge of the Myanmar Army and, in at least one photo, the Northwest Military Command based in Sagaing. Soldiers are seen with bamboo baskets normally used as backpacks by junta soldiers. Numbers on rifle butts in the photos even help identify one military unit. RFA asked Capt. Lin Htet Aung, a defector from the military who has joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), about the evidence. He said the numbers “708” and “4” seen on the guns indicate they are from the 4th Company of the Light Infantry Battalion 708 (708 LIB). The battalion belongs to the Yangon-based Military Operations Command No. 4 (MOC-4) which has been deployed to Sagaing and Magway regions and may be involved in joint operations there, he said. When contacted about the material recovered from the cell phone, junta Deputy Information Minister Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told RFA that authorities had opened a probe into the matter. “Regarding these incidents, we can respond only after investigation in the field,” he said. “We are now investigating it.” Full story at [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-soldier-atrocities/index.h… | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-soldier-atrocities/index.h… ] # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 11 months

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RFA Expands Editorial Capacity and Reach with New Roles, Divisions

by RFA Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : June 16, 2022 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-expands-editorial-capacity-and-reach… | RFA Expands Editorial Capacity and Reach with New Roles, Divisions ] Veteran journalist Matthew Pennington named Senior Managing Editor, as investigative and fact-check units added WASHINGTON – [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) today announced changes to its editorial team, and the department as a whole, as part of a broader strategic expansion that includes the creation of new journalistic investigative and fact-check units. With the changes, veteran journalist Matthew Pennington, formerly RFA’s Managing Editor of Southeast Asia, will serve as Senior Managing Editor, a newly created role. Pennington will lead daily newsroom operations, reporting to Executive Editor Min Mitchell. He also will directly oversee RFA’s digital affiliate [ https://www.benarnews.org/english | BenarNews ] , as well as the investigative unit, which will work with RFA’s language services to produce in-depth, long-form reports. These initiatives are part of a wider set of shifts to realize RFA’s strategic vision to sharpen its editorial capacity covering China, Hong Kong, North Korea, Myanmar, Cambodia and other places in Asia with restricted media environments that are inundated with authoritarian disinformation. “We are thrilled to take these key steps that will strengthen RFA’s incisive brand of journalism,” Mitchell said. “In leading many of these efforts, Matthew brings more than 20 years of invaluable newsroom experience and a deep Asia expertise. Those qualities and his incredible track record at RFA make him the right person to help us accomplish even more than we have to date.” “It’s a tremendous privilege to step into this exciting role, which offers a unique opportunity to take RFA’s reporting to a new level,” Pennington said. “I look forward to helping RFA meet this crucial moment in history and be best equipped for the challenges ahead.” Additionally, Paul Eckert, who served as Director of English News, will now be the English Editor-at-Large where he will oversee RFA’s English commentary section. Nadia Tsao, Managing Editor of East Asia, will lead the fact checking unit, which will map Chinese media influence worldwide and counter falsehoods in real time. With its expansion underway, RFA is in the process of recruiting for new positions within its language services and global Mandarin brand [ https://www.wainao.me/ | 歪脑 | WHYNOT ] , and to enhance its digital storytelling presentation, as well as filling Pennington’s and Eckert’s previous roles. Matthew Pennington joined RFA in December 2018, after a 19-year career with The Associated Press as a reporter and editor. He began his career in Southeast Asia as a U.N. volunteer in Laos, raising awareness about the problem of unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War. He worked as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse and then the AP, covering Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia, and spent five years based in Islamabad, where he became AP bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was born and educated in England and holds a BA in Ancient History from the University of Bristol and an MA in Political Philosophy from the University of York. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 11 months

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Four wins for RFA digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT at Telly Awards

by RFA Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 24, 2022 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards/four-wins-for-rfa-digital-brand-waynot-at-… | Four wins for RFA digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT at Telly Awards ] WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) online affiliate [ https://www.wainao.me/ | 歪脑 | WHYNOT ] won four prizes at the 43rd annual [ https://www.tellyawards.com/ | Telly Awards ] – earning one silver award for its special report “ [ https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/preserving-erased-decade-chinese-feminis… | Preserving the Erased Decade of the Chinese Feminist Movement ] ” and three for its docu-series “ [ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMad6trRX62yrRaLdcVIw2R1Amsg7jWeR | Caught in the Crossfire ] .” The two entries won across four of the Telly Awards’ [ https://www.tellyawards.com/?s=WHYNOT | categories ] , which judge the best work created within television and video, including Online Documentary and Non-scripted Web Series. “All the credit for this great achievement goes to the 歪脑 | WHYNOT team, whose superb reporting continues to earn well-deserved recognition,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “True to RFA’s core mission, 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s unique brand of story-telling provides young Mandarin-speakers around the world answers and accountability. These awards are a testament to its continued excellent work.” “We want to thank the Telly Awards for this incredible honor,” said Alex Zhang, Director of 歪脑 | WHYNOT. “In the two years since 歪脑 | WHYNOT launched, it’s very encouraging to continue to be recognized for our work to bring a fresh, often-missing journalistic perspective to our global audience.” “Caught in the Crossfire” is a three-episode project that investigates the ordinary people impacted by the U.S.-China big-power rivalry, from scientists who were wrongly accused of being spies, to journalists caught up in the U.S.-China media war, and to activists fighting hog waste pollution in North Carolina at a Chinese-owned meat processing plant. “Preserving the Erased Decade of the Chinese Feminist Movement,” which [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards/6b6a8111-whynot-an-rfa-affiliate-wins-onli… | won ] an Online News Association (ONA) award last year, examines the “lost” decade of the modern Chinese feminist movement. These awards mark the second instance 歪脑 | WHYNOT has won this year, having [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/whynot-wins-at-43rd-society-of-news-desi… | earned ] an Award of Excellence for “Preserving the Erased Decade of the Chinese Feminist Movement” at the 2022 Society of News Design competion. Since launching in the fall of 2020, the digital brand has won three major [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards | awards ] , while also earning a finalist status at this year’s New York Festivals Radio Awards and being named an honoree at the most recent Webby Awards. Other winners at the international contest, which received 11,000 entries from all over the world, include NBC, Al Jazeera, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and PBS Newshour. Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards annual competition showcases the best work in video and television across all screens. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

3 years

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RFA Names Kataryna DeLisle its New General Counsel

by RFA Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 23, 2022 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-names-kataryna-delisle-its-new-gener… | RFA Names Kataryna DeLisle its New General Counsel ] WASHINGTON - [ https://www.rfa.org/english | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings accurate and timely journalism to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today named Kataryna DeLisle as its new General Counsel. DeLisle brings 17 years of legal professional experience working across the nonprofit, private, and public sectors, having previously served in senior roles at RFA’s parent federal agency and sister networks. Additionally, her background includes earning her undergraduate degree in journalism and starting her post-college career as a video journalist with CNN. At RFA, DeLisle will manage overall legal affairs relating to the company’s governance, employment, global operations, and contracts, in addition to serving as Secretary to RFA’s Board of Directors. “We are delighted to welcome Kataryna to Radio Free Asia. Our organization will greatly benefit from her unique professional background – a rare combination of extensive legal expertise and journalistic knowledge,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “She joins RFA at a critical time in our growth and is an exceptional addition to our leadership team.” “RFA plays a pivotal role in informing publics with little or no access to accurate news and information,” DeLisle said. “I’m thrilled to begin a new chapter in my career that returns me to my roots in leading the legal operations of a journalistic operation on which so many rely.” Prior to joining RFA, DeLisle worked for 7 years at National Geographic Partners and National Geographic Society, where she worked in a number of positions including Assistant Chief Counsel, Assistant Chief Compliance Officer, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel. From 2008-2015 DeLisle served as the Assistant General Counsel for the BBG, the independent federal agency later renamed as the United States Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/ | USAGM ] ), where she was the lead counsel for [ https://www.voanews.com/ | Voice of America ] (VOA) and [ https://www.radiotelevisionmarti.com/ | Radio and TV Martí ] (OCB). She began her professional career as a video journalist at CNN. DeLisle earned her Juris Doctor at American University, Washington College of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

3 years

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RFA President Affirms Urgency of Global Press Freedom amid Rising Authoritarianism: ‘Choice Couldn’t Be Clearer’

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 3, 2022 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-president-affirms-urgency-of-global-… | RFA President Affirms Urgency of Global Press Freedom amid Rising Authoritarianism: ‘Choice Couldn’t Be Clearer’ ] WASHINGTON - Marking World Press Freedom Day amid rising authoritarianism and escalating dangers facing journalists, Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Bay Fang pledged RFA’s steadfast commitment to informing publics in Asia deprived of a free press and free expression. “On World Press Freedom Day, the choice couldn’t be clearer: Whether we allow authoritarians to define this era, letting them have the last word, or whether we challenge their false narratives and propaganda in pursuit of the truth,” Fang said. “ As we witness the collapse of independent media in Burma and Hong Kong, in addition to its deterioration throughout Asia, we at RFA recognize the urgency of our mission-driven responsibility to those seeking answers, accountability, and empowerment. “This crucial moment in history demands nothing less of us than doing everything in our power to advance the cause of press freedom in the face of ever-growing threats.” In RFA’s media region, where press freedom groups have monitored continuous decline over the last decade, reliably semi-open markets in [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-unrest/ | Burma ] and [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/jimmy-lai-04122022110537.html | Hong Kong ] dramatically transformed overnight into closed environments within the past year. Nevertheless, audiences – estimated to be nearly 60 million on a weekly basis – turn to RFA as a trusted source of accurate on-the-ground news and information. This is evidenced in soaring engagement across its platforms, including on its Burmese and Cantonese social media channels – which recently have seen quadruple- and triple-digit percentage growth. RFA has also made significant impacts monitoring the on-the-ground fallout of China’s “zero-Covid” policy in [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/extension-04122022140143.html | Shanghai ] and [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/deleted-04252022141933.html | Beijing ] , exposing [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/taiwan-disinformation-04012022153858… | China’s role in spreading Russian disinformation ] on Ukraine in Taiwan, providing continuous coverage and analysis of the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/tribunal-ruling-12092021063715.html | Uyghur tribunal ] in 2021, reporting on South China Sea territorial [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/dangerous-dance/ | disputes ] , and alerting the world to North Korea’s enforced ban on outside media, including breaking the news about severe punishments for individuals caught sharing video files of the viral South Korean series, ‘ [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/squidgame-11232021180155.html | Squid Game ] .’ In addition, to aid its journalistic efforts to push back on authoritarian propaganda, RFA will utilize a late-year budget increase to expand its programming and content in China, Southeast Asia, and globally. Plans include launching an investigative unit to expose malfeasance and ensure accountability; creating a fact-checking unit to counter falsehoods in real time, initially focusing on Chinese social media; and expanding RFA's China services, particularly RFA Uyghur and Cantonese. RFA also plans to grow its [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/6b6a8111-whynot-an-rfa-affiliate-wins-on… | award-winning ] global Mandarin digital brand, [ https://www.wainao.me/ | 歪脑 | WHYNOT ] ; increase capacity to cover Chinese activities in Southeast Asia; provide more up-to-the-minute English content; and expand RFA’s Creative Team for multimedia storytelling. These enhancements also include upgrading critical digital infrastructure and technology to support newsroom operations. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Chief Communications Officer Radio Free Asia

3 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia Wins Gracie for Korean Defector Project

by RFA Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : April 13, 2022 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Wins Gracie for Korean Defector Project WASHINGTON - [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA)’s Korean Service was today named among the winners at this year’s [ https://allwomeninmedia.org/gracies/ | Gracie Awards ] for its report [ https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/news_indepth/defectorwomensp-1209202115… | Rerouting: defying the given path, paving a new one - North Korean female defectors' journey ] . The project, which follows two female North Korean refugees and documents their perspectives on leaving their homeland’s heavily male-dominated society, won in the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation-sponsored contest’s category for Foreign Language Individual Achievement. “RFA’s Korean Service has the crucial and challenging job of reporting news out of North Korea on a daily basis, while keeping informed a population especially vulnerable to disinformation,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “A compelling story through the years has been that of the defectors – who face incredible odds in their quest to realize the dream of freedom.” “RFA’s winning piece is another episode in that saga, documenting the journey of two brave women yearning for a better life in neighboring South Korea.” The winning report, which premiered in December 2021, follows the journey of two North Korean women refugees who fled their repressive homeland to start new lives in South Korea. The report contains testimonies from various age groups of North Korean defectors from their 20s to 50s. It also includes a testimony of a foreigner who lived in Pyongyang for two years as a diplomat's wife. These accounts underscore North Korean women’s lack of human rights and provide insight into a possible feminist movement percolating within the country. Other winners at this year’s competition include The Washington Post , NPR, CBS News, and VICE Media. They will be honored at the 47th Annual Gracie Awards Gala in Los Angeles on May 24. Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) is a non-profit that creates educational programs and scholarship initiatives to benefit the public and women in the media. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

3 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan monks beaten, arrested for sharing Buddha statue destruction news

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan monks beaten, arrested for sharing Buddha statue destruction news Jan. 7, 2021 - Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province are beating and arresting Tibetan monks suspected of informing outside contacts about the destruction of a sacred statue, Tibetan sources say. The 99-foot tall Buddha which stood in Drago (in Chinese, Luhuo) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Region was targeted for demolition in December by officials who said the statue had been built too high. Monks from a local monastery and other Tibetan residents were forced to witness the destruction, an action experts called part of an ongoing campaign to eradicate Tibet’s distinct national culture and religion. Eleven monks from Drago’s Gaden Namgyal Ling monastery have now been arrested by Chinese authorities on suspicion of sending news and photos of the statue’s destruction — reported exclusively this week by RFA — to contacts outside the region, a Tibetan source in exile said on Friday. “As of now, we have learned that Lhamo Yangkyi, Tsering Samdrup and four other Tibetans have been arrested for communicating outside Tibet,” the source said, citing contacts in Drago and speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “And a few days before the demolition of the statue began, Abbot Pelga, his assistant Nyima, and the monks Tashi Dorje and Nyima from the monastery in Drago were taken into custody, with Chinese authorities saying they needed to be taught a lesson.” “The monks were brutally beaten and not given any food in prison, and one was beaten so brutally that one of his eyes is badly injured,” he said. “And citing what they call the indifferent attitude shown by local Tibetans, the Chinese authorities are forcing some of them to stand outside with no clothes in the freezing cold.” Also speaking to RFA, a second source in exile said that new restrictions have now been imposed on Tibetans following the statue’s demolition, which was confirmed by RFA in Washington, D.C., using commercial satellite imagery. “Local Tibetans are not being allowed to hang prayer flags outside their doors. And their fireplaces, which are sometimes used for purification rituals, are being destroyed,” the second source said, also speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his sources. “The Chinese police are now beating Tibetans on unreasonable excuses such as not having ‘a proper expression’ on their face. Some Tibetans have fainted, and others are being made to stand outside in the cold weather and are then released without explanation,” he said. The U.S. State Department in a statement voiced “deep concern” at reports of the statue’s destruction. “[We] continue to urge PRC authorities to respect the human rights of Tibetans and the preservation of Tibet’s environment as well as the unique cultural, linguistic, and religious identity of Tibetan traditions,” the State Department said. “We will work with our partners and allies to press Beijing to cease ongoing abuses against Tibetans and return to direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his Tibetan representatives, without preconditions, to resolve differences.” Sophie Richardson, China director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, added that China’s demolition of the statue and crackdown on Tibetans sharing news of its destruction show that “religious believers cannot rely on legal or constitutional safeguards of their faith.” China in its current phase of “ultranationalist and statist ideology gives all power to the state, and regards civil society with suspicion and contempt,” Richardson said. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/news-01072022144013.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have accesfull and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

3 years, 5 months

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Radio Free Asia Wins Journalism Award in Taiwan

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : November 24, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards/rfa-mandarin-wins-journalism-award-in-taiw… | RFA Mandarin Wins Journalism Award in Taiwan ] WASHINGTON -- [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA)’s Mandarin Service was named the winner of the arts and cultural news award for its [ https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/duomeiti/tebiejiemu/hkwenhua/ | video series ] on Hong Kong's resistance art community, which is using their pens, brushes and creativity to advocate for Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedom. The award was presented by the [ https://www.feja.org.tw/category/media-award/award1 | Excellent Journalism Award Foundation ] at its 20th annual ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan yesterday. “Full credit for this award belongs to the team of reporters in RFA Mandarin behind this series,” Nadia Tsao, RFA’s Managing Editor for East Asia, said. “As authorities in Hong Kong intensify their crackdown on independent media and voices, it is ever more important to showcase free expression’s unique power and role. This timely project on the expatriate resistance art movement in Taiwan does just that.” The winning submission, which included three videos that were part of an RFA Mandarin series published throughout 2020 on Hong Kong’s resistance art movement, profiles an actor, the writers of a banned book and a [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_63llpKQX9Y | group of political cartoonists ] who are using their art to fight for Hong Kong’s freedom after a 2019 national security law imposed by the CCP cracked down on free speech. Fearing the CCP would wipe out Hong Kong’s history of freedom, the Hong Kong arts community at home and abroad in Taiwan are fighting back, hoping to change the narrative as they remember. This is RFA Mandarin’s first Excellent Journalism award, with its video series being selected unanimously as the winner among more than 105 other submissions in the arts and cultural news category, a testament to the essential role RFA plays providing unique journalism to audiences around Asia living in closed societies. Other winners at this year’s Excellent Journalism Awards include Apple Daily, United Daily, Taiwan’s Public Television Service, The Reporter, Central News Agency and Commonwealth Magazine. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Chief Communications Officer Radio Free Asia

3 years, 6 months

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歪脑 | WHYNOT -- an RFA affiliate -- wins Online News Association Award

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Oct. 18, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/6b6a8111-whynot-an-rfa-affiliate-wins-on… | 歪脑 | WHYNOT ] [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/6b6a8111-whynot-an-rfa-affiliate-wins-on… | -- an RFA affiliate -- wins Online News Association Award ] WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) online affiliate [ https://www.wainao.me/ | 歪脑 | WHYNOT ] was named a winner by the [ https://journalists.org/ | Online News Association ] (ONA) for its impactful feature on the “lost” decade of the modern Chinese feminist movement, starting with the 2015 arrest of the group of five women who protested sexual harassment on public transportation. 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s [ https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/preserving-erased-decade-chinese-feminis… | Preserving the Erased Decade of the Chinese Feminist Movement ] , showcasing the unheard voices and telling their stories, won a 2021 Online Journalism Award in the feature category for a small newsroom. “I am so proud of the 歪脑 | WHYNOT team for winning yet another award this year for its groundbreaking coverage that offers young Mandarin-speakers a new perspective on the world around them,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “This recognition also reflects the central mission driving RFA for 25 years, which is to document and to empower through uncensored, independent journalism.” “Since launching last year, the 歪脑 | WHYNOT team continues to develop projects that fight misinformation and misperception in the Chinese-language world,” said Alex Zhang, Director of 歪脑 | WHYNOT. “For this feature, the overwhelming audience response included people saying how they felt like memories lost a decade ago were suddenly returned to them. For us, that kind of impact is its own reward. But this award, for which we thank the ONA, also encourages us.” 歪脑 | WHYNOT's feature, which premiered in March 2021, unites the forgotten stories of Chinese activists from around the world, constructing a vital historical narrative to empower future agents of change as China’s authoritarian regime has tightened its grip on every aspect of society and silenced the most active and outspoken voices. For the first time, 歪脑 | WHYNOT connected Chinese feminists, women, and others around the world, weaving the broken threads of the movement together despite censorship and years of separation. This involved hosting online interactive events with several members of the Feminist Five, including a Clubhouse chatroom in which almost 300 people -- including mainland Chinese citizens -- asked questions and discussed the movement in a rare opportunity for open dialogue about the movement and its legacy. This is 歪脑 | WHYNOT's second major award this year, having earned a Hong Kong Human Rights Award in May for its essay [ https://stories.wainao.me/---the-truth-isn-t-dead---you-just-don-t-believe-… | The Truth Isn’t Dead, You Just Don’t Believe It Anymore ] - a testament to 歪脑 | WHYNOT continuing to fill a vital role providing incisive journalism to audiences living under authoritarian regimes. Other [ https://awards.journalists.org/winners/2021/?utm_source=Online+News+Associa… | winners ] at this year’s competition include ProPublica, Grist, The New York Times , VICE Media, and The Wall Street Journal . # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

3 years, 7 months

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RFA Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 29, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] RFA Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary To commemorate the milestone, RFA is holding a virtual event on Burma and media freedom, starting at 9:30 am U.S. ET. (Register [ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burma-journalisms-power-and-peril-an-rfa-25th-… | HERE ] ) WASHINGTON - Today marks the 25th anniversary of [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA), when its first Mandarin-language program aired on this day in 1996. RFA’s incisive brand of journalism since its inception has led to some of the most consequential stories from U.S-funded media. It was the first news outlet to inform the world about the creation of a prison state for Uyghurs in China’s Far West, the first to confirm the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi during Burma’s military’s coup, and exposed the Chinese government’s cover-up of COVID-19 fatalities last year in Wuhan, among other pivotal developments. RFA President Bay Fang said: “Today we celebrate Radio Free Asia’s 25th anniversary. On this day in 1996, our inaugural Mandarin broadcast broke through the airwaves to listeners in China. In the years since, we’ve witnessed sweeping changes in history and technology, recasting how we connect, how we see each other, and how we share information. “But we’ve also witnessed fragmentation, the sophisticated spread of disinformation, and a decline in media freedom around the world -- as authoritarian regimes and other malign actors have changed and adapted with the times. “This makes RFA’s incisive brand of journalism ever more important for the millions who count on us. We bring accountability. We bring answers. We empower our audiences.” Today, RFA helps an estimated weekly audience of 59.8 million people access uncensored, independent news, information, and cultural programming otherwise ignored or blocked by governments hostile to a free press. Adding eight language services over the years -- Tibetan, Korean, Burmese, Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, Cantonese and Uyghur -- RFA today serves audiences in China, North Korea, and Southeast Asia -- regions ranked among the [ https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-and-media/2019/media-freedom-downwa… | world’s worst media environments ] . Launched in recent years, RFA online affiliates [ https://www.benarnews.org/english | BenarNews ] and [ https://www.wainao.me/ | WHYNOT/WAINAO ] expand its reach to populations in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as the younger Chinese-speaking global diaspora. On social media, RFA and its brands have more than 30 million followers/fans and its video content has been viewed 2.8 billion times this fiscal year (FY ’21) alone. RFA’s work has earned widespread acclaim and recognition. Its exclusive reporting is frequently cited by BBC, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Atlantic, VICE News , FOX News, The South China Morning Post , Bangkok Post , and CNN, among many other global, local, and regional outlets. RFA has earned many honors, including National Murrow Awards, Gracies, and Hong Kong Human Rights Awards, and others from the Society of Professional Journalists, Alliance for Women in Media, Amnesty International, Hong Kong Journalists Association, and the New York Festivals for its reporting on the Rohingya, COVID-19, the Uyghur internment camps, and China’s media censorship, among other key topics. Due to the difficult media environments in which RFA operates and the sensitive nature of RFA’s work, its journalists often face [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-president-calls-for-justice-for-jour… | serious risks ] . At present, current and former contributors and journalists are imprisoned in Vietnam and Cambodia, while dozens of RFA Uyghur journalists’ China-based family members are missing, detained, and jailed. Bipartisan legislation commemorating RFA’s 25th anniversary and its accomplishments is being introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in the coming days. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

3 years, 8 months

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BenarNews -- an RFA Affiliate -- Wins Murrow Award for COVID Report

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Aug. 17, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/benarnews-an-rfa-affiliate-wins-murrow-a… | BenarNews -- an RFA Affiliate -- Wins Murrow Award for COVID Report ] WASHINGTON – Radio Free Asia (RFA) online affiliate [ https://www.benarnews.org/english | BenarNews ] today was named a National Murrow Award winner by the [ https://www.rtdna.org/ | Radio Television Digital News Association ] (RTDNA) for its incisive journalism on the impact of COVID-19 in Bangladesh -- one of the pandemic’s hardest-hit countries. BenarNews’ “ [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1NMyHZHVpc | Bangladeshi volunteers help bury 'abandoned' COVID dead ] ” won in the international juried competition’s category for Small Digital News Organization. “ For millions with little or no access to uncensored local news, RFA-affiliate BenarNews is a crucial conduit for reliable, timely information ,” said Bay Fang, RFA President. “ This award is a testament to the vital role of responsible journalism, especially for those around the globe struggling through the nightmare scenario of a deadly pandemic .” " BenarNews Bengali has done outstanding work highlighting the heroism of regular people during a crisis. Their compassion and their courage amid the pandemic’s uncertainty are front and center in this report, for which our journalists deserve full credit, " said BenarNews Managing Editor Kate Beddall. BenarNews’ video was filmed in June 2020, shortly after the Bengali government reopened the economy and mosques after a two-month nationwide lock-down. While putting their own lives at risk, volunteers transported hundreds of bodies to burial sites, sometimes travelling hundreds of miles to ancestral homes to honor the deceased. BenarNews used Skype interviews and amateur footage to provide intimate coverage of people on the frontlines of the pandemic. It provided a platform for them to tell their own stories, too, inviting them to submit their own video while coaching them on respecting the privacy of people around them. At the time, Bangladesh had nearly 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 1,200 confirmed deaths. Today those numbers exceed 1.4 million and 24,000 respectively. Despite its critical coverage, BenarNews’s website remains blocked by Bengali authorities since April 2020, when the government [ https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/bengali/bangladesh-media-04022020173… | clamped down ] on the free-flow of information amid the pandemic. BenarNews provides audiences in Southeast and South Asia with credible news, in context and clearly explained, about security, politics, geopolitics and human rights. With home pages in Bengali, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and English, BenarNews focuses on the big picture, cross-border issues, and topics that are censored or overlooked. This year, RFA joins NPR, ABC News, and CBS News Radio among others, as winners of the 2021 National Murrow Awards. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

3 years, 9 months

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RFA Names New Executive Editor Following Retirement of Veteran Journalist

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : July 14, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Names New Executive Editor, Managing Editor Following Retirement of Veteran Journalist WASHINGTON -- [ http://rfa.org/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA)’s President Bay Fang has named Min Mitchell to the post of Executive Editor following the retirement of head of editorial and programming Parameswaran Ponnudurai. Mitchell will oversee RFA’s company-wide editorial operations, including its nine language services and online affiliate [ https://www.benarnews.org/ | BenarNews ] , which together serve the populations of 11 countries in Asia. Nadia Tsao, formerly RFA Mandarin Director, will replace Mitchell as the Managing Editor for East Asia. “Radio Free Asia’s incisive brand of journalism is powered by the incredible work and bravery of its reporters. Min Mitchell and Nadia Tsao are two longtime journalists who understand that implicitly,” said Fang. “Min’s proven editorial leadership and strategic vision will be key to RFA’s success, as we look to the future on our 25th anniversary year. Nadia has been pivotal in RFA Mandarin’s coverage on Hong Kong and reshaping the service’s programming to meet audience needs. I commend Param for his tireless service and dedication that have helped raise RFA to new levels of journalistic excellence during his tenure. We at RFA wish Param the best for his well-deserved retirement.” “For 25 years, Radio Free Asia’s independent and trusted reporting has been essential to bring to light so many critical but underreported stories in China, Burma, North Korea, and throughout Asia,” Mitchell said. “It is a great honor to lead the newsrooms of RFA and BenarNews, whose journalists continually set a high standard of courage, dedication, and excellence in search of the truth.” “As a journalist working in Taiwan and the United States for 35 years, I deeply appreciate the power of credible, independent journalism to empower audiences,” Tsao said. “I am honored by this opportunity. For people in China and North Korea, and Asian countries under authoritarian rule, RFA is needed more than ever.” Mitchell was hired by RFA in February 2017 as Managing Director for East Asia. Under her leadership, RFA's East Asia services have led coverage on the mass detention of Uyghurs, the dismantling of freedoms in Hong Kong, and abuses of the Kim Jong Un regime. They have also won numerous awards, including two [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards/murrow_award-06182019124513.html | National ] [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards/rfa-national-murrow-award-10132020172739.h… | Murrow Awards ] . Mitchell recently shepherded the creation of RFA’s innovative new digital news magazine, [ https://www.wainao.me/ | Wainao | WhyNot ] , which aims to engage younger Mandarin speakers around the world in an open, informed dialogue on banned and censored topics in the Chinese information space. Prior to joining RFA, Mitchell covered U.S. politics and global affairs in Washington and New York for several major Chinese-language news organizations, including Taiwan Television, where she served as the organization’s D.C. bureau chief and one of the network's leading news anchors. Nadia Tsao, who has served as the head of RFA’s Mandarin Service since 2018, will replace Mitchell as the Managing Editor for East Asia, with editorial responsibility for the Mandarin, Cantonese, Uyghur, Tibetan and Korean Services. Before joining RFA, Tsao was the Washington Bureau Chief for The Liberty Times of Taiwan and a contributor to the Voice of America. Ponnudurai, whose career in journalism began in 1974, first joined RFA as its English News Director in 2010, before being promoted to its head of editorial and programming operations. Param also served as Acting President of the organization for periods in 2019 and 2020. He was previously a journalist with Agence-France Presse (AFP) for 20 years, serving in various senior roles in Asia and Washington, DC, where he covered the State Department and White House. He was honored with France’s Chevalier of the National Order of Merit for journalism in 2002. This year RFA celebrates its 25th anniversary, as its first news broadcast to people in China aired at the end of September 1996. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

3 years, 11 months

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RFA Cantonese/Khmer/English Investigative Feature: Wanted Chinese Kingpin Owns Casino With Cambodian Senator's Son-in-Law

by Paul Eckert

Wanted Chinese Kingpin Owns Casino With Cambodian Senator's Son-in-Law June 23, 2021 - Political connections in Cambodia have allowed a major Chinese fugitive to elude jail while building a business empire, an investigation by RFA has found. Xu Aimin was sentenced to 10 years in a Chinese prison in 2013 for masterminding an illicit international gambling ring with an estimated turnover of $1.75 billion. Rather than do the time for his crime he has instead spent the last eight years building an immense Cambodian business empire, including, ironically enough, a capacious casino in the port city of Sihanoukville. The financially savvy fugitive owes both his commercial success and liberty to high-level political connections in Phnom Penh. Those connections are perhaps best illustrated in a photo posted to the Facebook page of the Royal Gendarmerie of Cambodia, or Military Police. At the center of the photo, taken in December 2018 at the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital in Phnom Penh, are 2,000 hundred-dollar bills, bundled together on a silver plate, which is being received by the hospital’s then-CEO Peter Struder. Flanking Struder and handing him the plate are Xu, with a weathered face and brown suit, and a markedly more fresh-faced Rithy Samnang. Known simply as “Tek” by his friends, Samnang is the son-in-law of ruling party senator Kok An, who made his fortune during the 1990s in the cigarette and casino businesses. Standing next to Xu is another entrepreneurial Chinese émigré, Su Zhongjian, who counts among his business partners Try Pheap, a U.S.-sanctioned timber tycoon and confidant of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Together, Xu, Samnang and Zhongjian are the owners of the KB Hotel & Casino in Sihanoukville and RSX Investment Co. Ltd. Presiding over the donation is national Military Police Commander Sao Sokha. A Wanted Man Just eight years earlier, Xu’s billion-dollar gambling racket in China had run into problems. The center of the action was Jingzhou, a city on the banks of the Yangtze River in Hubei province, best known for its 1,200-ton bronze statue of an ancient war god. In October 2010, Jingzhou police were alerted to online baccarat being offered at a city hotel. Gambling having been illegal in China since 1949, an investigation was launched that traced the operation to a server in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Two years later, on December 14, 2012, a triumphant article appeared in the China Daily , announcing the shutdown of a “major international gambling ring” with a turnover of 11 billion yuan ($1.75 billion) and 120 agents identified within China alone and 27 suspects apprehended. In all its triumphal excitement the state-owned newspaper omitted to mention one crucial detail: the operation’s ringleader was still at large. View this full story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/china-gambling-06232021080918.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/china-gambling-06232021080918.html ] [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/hunsen-family/xu-aimin.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/hunsen-family/xu-aimin.html ] [ https://www.rfa.org/khmer/multimedia/hunsen-family/xu-aimin.html | https://www.rfa.org/khmer/multimedia/hunsen-family/xu-aimin.html ] https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/jointpj-06212021162628.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

3 years, 11 months

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‘Burma, Belarus testify to the power and perils of free media’: RFA and RFE/RL Presidents

by RFA Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : June 14, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ‘Burma, Belarus testify to the power and perils of free media’: RFA and RFE/RL Presidents WASHINGTON -- A [ https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/558170-burma-belarus-testify-to-the-… | joint op-ed ] by Radio Free Asia ( [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | RFA ] ) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ( [ https://www.rferl.org/ | RFE/RL ] ) Presidents Bay Fang and Jamie Fly on the role of a free press in Burma and Belarus amid disruption was published in The Hill . The piece, titled, “ Burma, Belarus Testify to the Power and Perils of Free Media ,” identifies ways to strengthen local media, including internet freedom, and support journalists under threat in both countries. It also illustrates how the Burmese and Belarusian people have turned to RFA and RFE/RL for timely, unbiased journalism during media blackouts enforced by the authoritarian regimes of Burma’s General Min Aung Hlaing and Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenka. Read the full piece by clicking [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/2018burma-belarus-testify-to-the-power-a… | here ] . # # #

3 years, 12 months

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Radio Free Asia, WHYNOT Win Hong Kong Human Rights Award

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 6, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia, WHYNOT Win Hong Kong Human Rights Award WASHINGTON – [ https://www.rfa.org/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) and its online affiliate [ https://www.wainao.me/ | WHYNOT ] were announced as winners of the 25th annual Hong Kong-based [ https://humanrightspressawards.org/ | Human Rights Free Press Awards ] . RFA’s Mandarin Service reporter Amelia Hei Loi earned the top prize in the audio category for her [ https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/AL-10032020033853.html | series ] on the tensions between the Vatican and Beijing over regulation of the appointment of Chinese bishops. WHYNOT contributor Jieping Zhang won in the commentary writing category for her essay [ https://stories.wainao.me/---the-truth-isn-t-dead---you-just-don-t-believe-… | The truth isn’t dead: You just don’t believe it anymore ] . “We are extremely proud of our journalists for their timely coverage and commentary on the struggle for human rights in Hong Kong and China,” said RFA President Bay Fang. “This recognition is a testament to our incisive brand of journalism, which is more crucial than ever in providing real, unbiased information to authoritarian countries that censor their own citizens and the news they receive. “ With these awards, we are reminded of the important responsibility we bear over 25 years of bringing free press to closed societies.” RFA Mandarin’s series on the push and pull between the Vatican and Beijing over bishop appointments followed developments in the lead-up to the renewal of an agreement between the two sides in October 2020. Explaining the complex dynamics of relations between the two parties, the series touched on the surprise resignation of the Bishop of Fujian province, implications of the developments for the Catholic church in Hong Kong, and the impact that the Vatican’s cooperation with Beijing has on Chinese Christians. In her commentary for WHYNOT The truth isn’t dead: You just don’t believe it anymore , contributing writer Jieping Zhang traces the history of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) recent efforts to discredit independent thinkers like popular Weibo users and bloggers, the upgrade of CCP censorship efforts for a new information age, and the implications of disinformation for a Hong Kong increasingly under Beijing’s thumb. Her argument urges readers against the temptation to give into despair as forces of misinformation aim to discredit fact-based reporting and journalism-- one of the pillars of democracy and a source of oversight seen as threatening by authoritarian regimes the world over. Other [ https://humanrightspressawards.org/25th-human-rights-press-awards-2021-winn… | winners ] in this year’s competition included pieces submitted from Reuters, Rappler, and Apple Daily, among others. The Hong Kong Human Rights Awards are organized each year by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong, Amnesty International and the Hong Kong Journalists Association. The stated [ https://humanrightspressawards.org/ | goal ] of the awards is to increase respect for people’s basic rights and to focus attention on threats to those freedoms. # # # Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia President: Crucial to fill a gap for local news

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 3, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA President Calls for Justice for Journalists on World Press Freedom Day WASHINGTON -- Marking World Press Freedom Day amid alarming global trends toward the spread of disinformation and a growing distrust in fact-based journalism, [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) President Bay Fang renewed a call for an end to the persecution of reporters. Highlighting the darkening media environments in Hong Kong and Myanmar, Fang urged for the protection of the independence of news outlets and safety of journalists. “The brutal decline of press freedom during the pandemic underscores an urgent need for responsible journalism, which should never be on trial. Increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by censors in Hong Kong, Myanmar, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and Vietnam, mean that RFA’s reporting has become ever more crucial in filling the gap for local news,” Fang said. “In Myanmar, the military junta has shuttered all domestic independent media outfits, depriving Burmese citizens of trustworthy information when it’s needed most. “Authorities in Vietnam and Cambodia have unjustly charged and jailed former RFA contributors for their work amid wide-ranging crackdowns on critics and citizen journalists. The Chinese government has gone so far as to make an RFA Uyghur journalist the target of a smear campaign while pursuing an endless persecution of her and her colleagues’ families. The recent arrests and prosecutions of Hong Kong journalists have all but blighted hopes of a local free press surviving in the territory for much longer. “As RFA marks its 25th consecutive year of bringing free press to closed societies in Asia, we reiterate the essential role of journalism in lifting up the voices of the unheard and holding the powerful accountable to those they purport to serve.” In Vietnam, RFA contributors [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/conviction-of-nguyen-tuong-thuy-a-2018bl… | Nguyen Tuong Thuy ] , [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/condemns-conviction-03092020120832.html | Truong Duy Nhat ] and [ https://www.usagm.gov/news-and-information/threats-to-press/nguyen-van-hoa/ | Nguyen Van Hoa ] are serving sentences of 11, 10 and seven years respectively. In Cambodia, former RFA journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin have remained in a [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/chhin-and-sothearin-appeal-decision-0127… | legal limbo ] two years after a judge ordered their re-investigation, despite a prior investigation finding no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing. And in China’s Uyghur region, relatives of at least eight RFA journalists have been [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/uyghurfamilies/ | detained in retaliation ] for RFA’s Uyghur Service’s explosive coverage of the internment of over a million Uyghurs and other minorities in the province. Chinese authorities made unfounded accusations against RFA Uyghur journalist Gulchehra Hoja as part of [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/smear-04132021191322.html | a smear campaign ] against expatriate Uyghurs who have publicly spoken out about the prison state in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, RFA also launched a [ https://twitter.com/RadioFreeAsia/status/1387542142277586944 | social media campaign ] emphasizing a free press’s role in ensuring transparency. Across [ https://twitter.com/RadioFreeAsia | Twitter ] , [ https://www.facebook.com/RFAEnglish | Facebook ] and [ https://www.facebook.com/RFAEnglish | Instagram ] , the campaign highlights recent RFA exclusives -- from the exposure of police brutality against Burmese protesters and volunteer medics, to the disappearance of Chinese whistleblowers who aimed to tell the world about COVID-19, and many more -- that shed light on events that otherwise would be blotted out by censors. In its recently released [ https://rsf.org/en/2021-world-press-freedom-index-journalism-vaccine-agains… | 2021 Press Freedom Index, ] media freedom watchdog [ https://rsf.org/en | Reporters Without Borders ] (RSF) noted a general “dramatic deterioration in people's access to information and an increase in obstacles to news coverage” around the world, and highlighted the seriousness of the situation in Asia. The report cited the rising threats to free press in Hong Kong (which dropped seven places in the global rankings to 80th place) in its assessment of China (ranked 177th out of 180 countries). The report also pointed out China’s increased efforts to promote its own repression as a model for other nations’ governments to squash independent journalism and dissent. # # # Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: North Korea Executes Fishing Fleet Captain for Listening to RFA

by Paul Eckert

North Korea Executes Fishing Fleet Captain for Listening to RFA Dec. 17, 2020 - Authorities in North Korea executed the owner of a fishing fleet in front of 100 boat captains and fisheries executives for secretly listening to broadcasts by Radio Free Asia and other forbidden media outlets while at sea, sources in the country told RFA. The fishing boat captain, who picked up the habit of tuning in to broadcasts from abroad while in the military, confessed to having listened to the U.S. government-funded media outlet for more than 15 years, after he was turned in by a resentful crewman at his base in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. North Korea goes to extraordinary lengths to stop its population from accessing outside information, with strict punishment for violators, but the open sea allows fishermen and merchant mariners the chance to hear forbidden broadcasts. The captain had been catching fish for the government of Kim Jong Un, which has ordered North Korean fishermen to increase catches amid food shortages and to raise cash in the face of international sanctions aimed at curbing resources for nuclear weapons. “In mid-October, a captain of a fishing boat from Chongjin was executed by firing squad, on charges of listening to Radio Free Asia regularly over a long period of time,” a law enforcement official from North Hamgyong province told RFA’s Korean Service Wednesday. “We know that the captain’s surname was Choi and he was in his 40s. He was working out of a fishery base affiliated with the Central Party’s Bureau 39,” the source said, referring to the secret organization tasked with acquiring hard currency and maintaining a slush fund for Kim Jong Un. “Choi was the owner of a fleet of over 50 ships. During an investigation by the provincial security department, Captain Choi confessed to listening to RFA broadcasts since the age of 24, when he was serving in the military as a radio operator,” the source said. RFA reported that authorities in June sent a signal corpsman to one of the country’s notorious political prison camps for tuning in to RFA at work, while in November 2018, a signaler in the country’s elite Supreme Guard Command was purged for listening to banned broadcasts, and his whole command was punished. The North Hamgyong official said that Choi and his subordinates in the military routinely set the dial to RFA when he was in his 30s. “After he finished military service, he continued to listen to RFA. They say that listening to RFA brought back fond memories of his days in the military. It also seems he was under the illusion that because he was part of Bureau 39’s fishing base, he would be immune to criminal charges, and that seems to have brought on tough consequences for him,” the source said. “We know that the provincial security department defined his crime as an attempt of subversion against the party. They publicly shot him at the base in front of 100 other captains and managers of the facility’s fish processing plants. They also dismissed or discharged party officials, the base’s administration and the security officers who allowed Choi to work at sea,” said the source. Another source, a resident of the province, confirmed to RFA that news of Choi’s execution had spread among the public. “During the investigation, they found out that when he was out fishing on distant seas, he fixed the frequency and listened continuously to foreign broadcasts,” the second source said. The source said that with Choi’s growing power and wealth as a fleet owner, he became high-handed toward his crew. “One of the fishermen sought vengeance for Choi’s arrogant and disrespectful behavior so he reported him to the security department,” the second source said. The second source said that Choi confessed during his investigation to continuously listening to news of the outside world and music programming from RFA. “The security authorities decided then that the time to reeducate him had long past, so they executed him by firing squad,” the second source said. “It is really common for people who work on ships to enjoy broadcasts in the Korean language, such as RFA, through their radio communicators when they go out to the sea. Therefore, it seems that the authorities made an example out of Choi to imprint on the residents that listening to outside radio stations means death,” the second source said. Two refugees who escaped from North Korea and resettled in the South told RFA Thursday that the Washington-based outlet’s programming is widely consumed by ordinary North Korean residents. “People are curious about RFA content because the authorities tell us through resident education sessions, which are more like propaganda, to never listen to RFA broadcasting from the U.S., as it is all about anti-DPRK measures,” said one. The second told RFA that news from abroad is even more popular than TV shows and movies. “We can get a variety of content from CDs and memory sticks, but what North Koreans most want to know is news from the outside. Residents can get many outside broadcasts, but they prefer RFA because it can be heard clearly in the Korean language,” the second refugee said. “Military radio operators and fishermen are known to listen to RFA a lot because they are more able to listen to outside broadcasts.” The State-run Korean Central News Agency recently reported that the Supreme People’s Assembly on Dec. 4 adopted the ‘Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law,’ indicating that the government may now be placing more scrutiny on citizens caught watching foreign media. RFA broadcasts six hours of Korean-language programming daily into North Korea over short wave radio from transmitters located about 1,900 miles away in the Northern Mariana Islands, and medium wave transmitters in South Korea. Reported by Sewon Kim for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/execution-12172020205217.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

4 years, 2 months

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RFA President: ‘Don’t Just Celebrate Women Journalists, Support Them’

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : March 8, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.681.6720 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] RFA President: ‘Don’t Just Celebrate Women Journalists, Support Them’ WASHINGTON -- On International Women’s Day, Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Bay Fang celebrates the impactful contributions of RFA’s women journalists, while underscoring ways to support those currently working and future generations in the field. In a piece [ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6774761145325756416 | published on LinkedIn ] , “Don’t Just Celebrate Women Journalists, Support Them,” Fang writes, “ As RFA celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first broadcast this year, I look back with pride on the work we've done to amplify women's voices, in front of the camera and behind it, and think ahead to what more we can do … to achieve greater equity in our field for years to come. ” The full text of the article can also be accessed here ... [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-president-2018don2019t-just-celebrat… | https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-president-2018don2019t-just-celebrat… ] # # # Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 3 months

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Report Deepens Understanding of Uyghur Detainees’ Treatment in Xinjiang

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Feb. 2, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/trapped-in-the-system-experiences-of-uyg… | Report Deepens Understanding of Uyghur Detainees’ Treatment in Xinjiang ] WASHINGTON – A new research [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/trapped-in-the-system-experiences-of-uyg… | report ] from Radio Free Asia (RFA) details the experiences of Uyghur detention camp survivors and other detainees from China’s Far West. The qualitative study, Experiences of Uyghur Detention in Post-2015 Xinjiang , provides first-hand accounts focusing on the extrajudicial process Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are subjected to, including the tenuous grounds authorities cite for detention, quotas and financial incentives for arrests and confessions, the classification of individuals by perceived risk categories, and harsh treatment inside the facilities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). RFA’s report may be accessed as a downloadable PDF by clicking [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/trapped-in-the-system-experiences-of-uyg… | HERE ] . “In conducting this research, we tried to understand how the harrowing details of detainee experiences fit into China’s larger system of political and cultural control in Xinjiang,” said Betsy Henderson, RFA’s Chief Strategy Officer and the head of the organization’s Research Department. “Throughout the process we prioritized the safety and mental and physical health of the interviewees, aiming always to ensure our report reflects their full humanity, not just the dehumanizing experiences that continue to haunt them. ” “RFA’s groundbreaking journalism has shown time and again the extent to which Uyghurs are subjected en masse to China’s indiscriminate extralegal detention, with the clear aim of cultural destruction,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “ This report bears critical witness to the eye-opening details of this human rights crisis, as revealed through the personal accounts of individuals.” The extensive interviews forming the substance of this report -- a project of RFA’s research division -- were conducted securely between November 2019 and May 2020 in Turkey and Europe with seven ethnic Uyghur ex-detainees and one ethnic Uzbek. The accounts offered by the study’s detention survivors supplement other firsthand accounts that have emerged, as well as the leaked documents and cables detailing the Chinese Communist Party’s far reaching high-tech surveillance and directives to crack down on the Uyghur population and other Muslim minorities in the XUAR. Key findings include: * A blurring between pre-trial detention facilities and re-education camps , including repurposed or makeshift conversions of existing facilities into ones for detention. * Accounts of flimsy to nonexistent grounds for arrests and detentions , including innocuous religious signifiers and contact or connection, close or passing, to individuals rated high-risk. * Confessions forced under extreme duress , including violence or deprivation, and threats of violence to family members. * Arrest quotas and financial incentives openly discussed by authorities, witnessed firsthand by two of the eight participants in this study. * No opportunities to share information among detainees , with incriminating conversations likely to lead to maltreatment or torture. * Medical neglect as well as enforced medical interventions , including lack of doctors on site, weekly blood samples in many camps, and mandatory unidentified injections and pills. The report builds on past work from RFA’s research team, including a 2018 quantitative survey that focused on the experiences and media consumption habits of Uyghurs in Turkey who had left the Uyghur region. Journalists in RFA’s Uyghur Service were among the first to sound the alarm as China moved in recent years to detain more than 1 million members of Muslim minorities in the XUAR. First exposing the mass internment of Uyghurs in 2017, the service has meticulously documented related developments such as the transfer of prisoners to other regions of China, the construction of orphanages for the children of detained Uyghurs, and the destruction of cultural and sacred locations including, historic city centers, mosques and grave sites. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 4 months

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Invitation: RFA Uyghur Report Release Event Tomorrow (2/2)

by Rohit Mahajan

Dear friends -- Tomorrow Radio Free Asia will be releasing a research report on Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities detained in Xinjiang. Details of the related virtual event, hosted by GW's Central Asia Program, including a link to RSVP, follow below. Hope you can join us! Kind regards, Rohit Event The Central Asia Program and Radio Free Asia invite you to a virtual discussion of RFA's upcoming report Trapped in the System: Experiences of Uyghur Detention in Xinjiang Tuesday, February 2 , 2021 10:00 - 11:00 AM (EST) [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | Click here to join Webex event ] Event Number (access code): [ callto:120 804 6737 | 120 804 6737 ] Event password: CAP0202 [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | RSVP ] More than a million -- some say 3 million -- Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been arbitrarily detained and imprisoned in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region since 2016. While outlets like Radio Free Asia (RFA) have played a pivotal role in exposing Beijing’s sweeping detentions in the Uyghur homeland, documenting the process by which Chinese authorities target, interrogate, and detain Uyghurs and other minorities has been murky. Recently, RFA’s research department carried out a series of in-depth interviews with survivors from these camps. These rich firsthand accounts from the inside provide not just a detailed scene of the brutal en masse interrogations, incarcerations, classifications, and means of torture, but heart-wrenching, vivid pictures of the human beings caught in its gears. Please join the George Washington University's Central Asia Program on Tuesday, February 2 , 2021 at 10 am US ET as Dr. Sean Roberts, Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of the International Development Studies Program at GW's Elliott School of International Affairs, hosts a discussion with Radio Free Asia about its forthcoming report. Speakers will include Betsy Henderson, Chief Strategy Officer and head of RFA’s audience research program; Alim Seytoff, Director of RFA's Uyghur Service; and Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang, China Senior Researcher. SPEAKERS Sean Roberts is an anthropologist with regional expertise in Central Asia, where he also has also done extensive applied development work on issues related to civil society, governance, and human rights. Much of his academic work has focused on the Uyghur people in the People’s Republic of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as well as in Central Asia and Turkey. His first book, The War on the Uyghurs: China’s Internal Campaign against a Muslim Minority (Princeton University Press, September 2020 ) draws on his field research and in-depth interviews with Uyghurs. Roberts also writes on issues related to politics and development in the broader Central Asian region. He frequently comments for media outlets on current events both in Central Asia and in the Uyghur region of China. Roberts earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. @RobertsReport Betsy Henderson is Radio Free Asia’s Chief Strategy Officer. Henderson was RFA's founding Director of Audience Research, establishing RFA’s capacity to monitor its impact and gather audience feedback in Asia’s most repressive societies. In addition to conducting representative surveys and qualitative studies, Ms. Henderson developed unprecedented research programs for North Korea and China’s Tibetan and Uyghur regions. Since 2003, Henderson has overseen RFA’s journalism training and program evaluation, and now also is responsible for digital analytics, internal goal setting, impact reporting, and performance tracking. A former Associated Press reporter, Ms. Henderson lived and worked in southern China and in Taiwan and speaks Mandarin fluently. Her graduate studies at Columbia and University of Michigan focused on journalism, Chinese politics, and research methodology. Alim Seytoff is the Director of Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service. During his tenure, which began in early 2017, RFA Uyghur broke the story of the mass arbitrary detentions of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region -- and has remained on the forefront of covering this human rights crisis since. Prior to RFA, Alim served as the Executive Director for the Uyghur Human Rights Project and was President of the Uyghur American Association. He has appeared on BBC, CNN and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, speaking about Uyghur related issues. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and has briefed U.S officials on the subject. Alim holds a BA in Chinese Studies from Xinjiang University and a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Southern Adventist University. He has a Master's Degree in Public Policy from the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. Alim received his Juris Doctor degree from Regent University School of Law in 2006. Maya Wang is the senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch. Wang has researched and written extensively on the use of torture, arbitrary detention, human rights defenders, civil society, disability rights, and women’s rights in China. She is also an expert on human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. In recent years, her original research on China’s use of technology for mass surveillance, including the use of biometrics, artificial intelligence and big data, has helped galvanize international attention on these developments in China and globally. Wang has published on major international media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, ChinaFile, the Diplomat, the Guardian , and has been frequently quoted by international media including the New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg News, and the Associated Press. Cover illustration by Yette Su. Tuesday, February 2 , 2021 10:00 - 11:00 AM (EST) [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | Click here to join Webex event ] Event Number (access code): [ callto:120 804 6737 | 120 804 6737 ] Event password: CAP0202 [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | RSVP ] This event is on the record, open to the public, and will be recorded. The Central Asia Program Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University 1957 E Street, NW | Suite 412 | Washington, DC | 20052 [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | (202) 994-9509 ] | [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | infocap(a)gwu.edu ] | [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | centralasiaprogram.org ] [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | Facebook ] | [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | Twitter ] | [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | YouTube ] | [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | LinkedIn ] [ http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014K3Z9QtkjCDCS_zB1s-E5M58L8nZyr3NM7Vx05rHVVO-… | Join our mailing lists ] The Central Asia Program (CAP) promotes academic and policy research on contemporary Central Asia, and serves as an interface for the policy, academic, diplomatic, and business communities. Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies | George Washington University , 1957 E Street , Washington, DC 20052 [ http://www.ponarseurasia.org/ | www.ponarseurasia.org ] [ https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001ei9InUeyahpnWYtJr2PSZw%3D&… | Unsubscribe mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] [ https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=001ei9InUeyahpnWYtJr2PSZw%3D&… | Update Profile ] | [ http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider?cc=about-service-prov… | About our service provider ] Sent by [ mailto:infocap@gwu.edu | infocap(a)gwu.edu ] powered by [ http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=nge&rmc=VF19_3GE | ] [ http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=nge&rmc=VF19_3GE | Try email marketing for free today! ] Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 4 months

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Bay Fang Resumes Role as President of Radio Free Asia

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Jan. 24, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.489.8021 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/bay-fang-resumes-role-as-president-of-ra… | Bay Fang Resumes Role as President of Radio Free Asia ] WASHINGTON – Bay Fang was [ https://www.usagm.gov/2021/01/24/united-states-agency-for-global-media-repl… | appointed ] President of Radio Free Asia (RFA) by the Acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kelu Chao. Fang returns to the office of RFA President, having previously served in the role from November 2019 to June 2020. “I am deeply honored to return to my position at the helm of this vital institution,” Fang said. “I know how much RFA matters to people living under authoritarian rule, and the ability to continue its unique brand of incisive journalism without fear or favor is critical in today’s world. “RFA both informs and empowers the citizens of countries where authoritarians continue to spin webs of disinformation. As President, I look forward to ensuring RFA continues to shine as a beacon of quality, independent journalism in Asia and beyond.” Fang first joined RFA as Managing Director for East Asia in 2015. In 2016 she became Executive Editor, and was named RFA’s President in November 2019. During her tenure, Fang spearheaded in-depth investigative ventures into [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/nk-labor-overseas-04052016112935.html | North Korea ] ’s practice of skirting international sanctions through globe-spanning forced overseas labor operations, and numerous multimedia projects showcasing RFA’s in-depth journalism [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/china-reach/ | on China’s influence in Southeast Asia ] . She also oversaw coverage of the surveillance state in China’s Uyghur and Tibetan regions, including RFA’s exclusive reporting on China’s extrajudicial detention of more than 1 million Uyghurs and related developments. Fang’s 20-plus-year career in journalism began when she served as the Beijing Bureau Chief for US News & World Report, where she won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for her story "China's Stolen Wives." Fang went on to cover the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for US News and World Report magazine, and later became the Diplomatic Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. She has also served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, overseeing public diplomacy and public affairs for Europe and Eurasia. Fang earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University, was a Fulbright scholar in Hong Kong and a visiting fellow at Oxford University. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 4 months

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Conviction of Nguyen Tuong Thuy a ‘Blatant Assault’ on Press Freedom: RFA President

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Jan. 5, 2021 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] Conviction of Nguyen Tuong Thuy a ‘Blatant Assault’ on Press Freedom: RFA President WASHINGTON -- Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Stephen Yates issued the following statement today condemning the Ho Chi Minh People’s Court’s sentencing of Nguyen Tuong Thuy, a Vietnamese blogger who has contributed commentary to RFA’s Vietnamese Service, to 11 years in prison: “Radio Free Asia unequivocally condemns today’s conviction of Nguyen Tuong Thuy and calls for his immediate release. The harsh sentencing of Thuy and two other independent journalists is a blatant assault on basic freedoms and flies in the face of the freedom of expression enshrined in Vietnam’s constitution. Despite this development, RFA will continue to bring the people of Vietnam trustworthy journalism and provide a platform for independent commentary.” Nguyen Tuong Thuy was convicted of “making, storing and spreading information, materials and items for the purpose of opposing the state” after maintaining his own innocence at a one-day trial. Two other Vietnamese freelance journalists, Le Huu Minh Tuan and Pham Chi Dung, were handed prison sentences of 11 and 15 years respectively. RFA had previously [ https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/vietnameseblogger-05232020141145.html | called on ] Vietnamese authorities to release the blogger when he was arrested last May. Two other RFA Vietnamese contributors are serving jail terms in prison in Vietnam. They are Truong Duy Nhat, a blogger who was sentenced in March last year to 10 years, and Nguyen Van Hoa, a videographer who was sentenced in November 2017 to seven years. # # # Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 5 months

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RFA Breaking News: Iran's Sanctioned Shipping Line Runs Network of Hong Kong Companies

by Paul Eckert

Iran's Sanctioned Shipping Line Runs Network of Hong Kong Companies Nov. 18, 2020 - Iranian state shipping routes are continuing to evade U.S. sanctions by operating via a complex network of companies and subsidiaries registered in Hong Kong, dozens of which are traceable to a purported individual in Shanghai named on publicly available records as Shen Yong, a recent RFA investigation has revealed. RFA had earlier linked Shen Yong to four shipping companies -- Reach, Delight, Gracious and Noble -- registered in Hong Kong that were named as having done business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), using company records in Hong Kong. Further investigations have shown that Shen Yong is named on the records of some 37 companies registered in Hong Kong, which between them control at least 10 ocean-going container vessels and five oil tankers. Most are connected in some way with IRISL. IRISL has previously been accused of transporting ballistic missiles to Iran and materials associated with nuclear proliferation, and is a frequent target of U.S. sanctions. Corporate records show that IRISL first started setting up Hong Kong-registered companies in 2008, using a complex network of holding companies, or shell companies. Such companies rarely hold any assets or conduct any business; their main purpose is to act as a shareholder for another company, and can be effectively used in multiple layers across different geographical locations to obscure the true owners of a business. The first IRISL-linked companies start appearing in Hong Kong's companies registry in 2008, gradually increasing as Iran was sanctioned by the United Nations in 2010, and accelerating after 2016 with the establishment of at least 10 new companies in Hong Kong, despite the country's signing of a nuclear non-proliferation agreement. U.N. resolutions require all member states to freeze the assets belonging to IRISL or its agents, as well as those of any entities, funds or economic resources owned or controlled by the company. No enforcement by Hong Kong But the resolution was clearly not implemented in Hong Kong, where at least 11 IRISL-linked companies continued to operate in the city under the period covered by U.N. sanctions. US political risk management consultant Ross Feingold said the United States could feel let down by Hong Kong's inaction on sanctions. "What view will the U.S. take of Hong Kong's [lack of] action on sanctions? They will think it hasn't done enough," Feingold said. He said Washington may not be able to rely on the city's cooperation in future, given worsening relations between the U.S. and China. "Whether or not Hong Kong cooperates with the U.S. is now subject to political factors," he said. The Hong Kong government's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau told RFA that the Hong Kong government has been in strict compliance with U.N. Security Council sanctions, and has implemented them according to instructions from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. While the Hong Kong authorities did delist 19 IRISL vessels that had been registered in the city in 2012, they appear not to have moved against the companies that controlled them. Robert Clifton Burns, a former associate professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center who specializes in economic sanctions, said that U.N. sanctions placed member states under a legal obligation to seize or freeze assets linked to sanctioned parties. "[If] somebody in ... a member state that has a blocking obligation comes into possession or control of property or funds of the blocked person, then they are required to ... put it into a blocked account," he said. "The example I always used to give was ... if Osama Bin Laden walked into a McDonalds ... and ordered a hamburger you couldn't give him the hamburger ... and if he gave you the U.S.$5 to pay for the hamburger you couldn't give him the U.S.$5 back," he said. Secondary sanctions Even under unilateral U.S. sanctions, Burns said, secondary sanctions affect even businesses outside of the U.S. "There doesn't have to be any U.S. nexus for a transaction," he said. "If the foreign bank engages in providing certain types of financing to Iran's automotive and petroleum sector, and provides it in certain amounts, then they would be subject to U.S. sanctions, even though there would be no other U.S. link to it." In 2018, when the U.S. pulled out of the Iran nuclear non-proliferation agreement, a number of IRISL affiliates in Hong Kong changed shareholders, listing the Cyprus-registered Montenavo and Santarosa shipping companies as their shareholders for the first time. A search of Cypriot company records has revealed that both companies are controlled by the same shareholder, a Shanghai-based individual named as ChengCheng Dai. One of them, an IRISL subsidiary called Ideal Success Investment Ltd. lists its shareholders and directors as Ahmad Sarkandi and Ghasem Nabipour, both of whom were targeted by U.S. sanctions at the time the company was set up in 2008, according to a recent search of the Hong Kong companies registry. ChengCheng Dai is shown has having received her shares from an Iranian individual, Fateh Tamiji in September 2018 , a former CEO of ROD Ship Management, an IRISL subsidiary that has previously been the target of U.S. sanctions for shipping arms. Few details are available regarding ChengCheng Dai. Her date of birth is given as 1992, and her address is listed as Chunlei Village, Heqing, Shanghai. An e-mail sent to IRISL requesting further information had met with no reply at the time of writing. Recent media reports suggest China and Iran are currently in talks over a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement that will see China continue to import Iranian oil, as well as becoming a major investor and partner in Iranian security and governance. According to Feingold, China is keen to ensure its imports of Iranian oil continue, while Iran is hungry for China's technology exports. "China doesn't really need to pay much attention to U.S. sanctions," he said. "It's just going to carry on with its trade relations." Reported by Jack Davies for RFA's Khmer Service, and by Chan Jeun-lam and Gigi Lee for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-iran-11182020174050.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

4 years, 6 months

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Radio Free Asia Wins National Murrow Award -- Second Year in a Row

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Oct. 13, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Video Series Wins National Murrow Award Project delves into looming problems in China’s economy WASHINGTON – [ https://www.rfa.org/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) applauds the [ https://www.rtdna.org/ | Radio Television Digital News Association’s ] (RTDNA) announcement of RFA as the winner of a National Murrow Award for its [ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhpxddL0HGm41Vyx7DhhR2wuRPTwJ_NoB | “Gray Rhino” series ] . The series, made up of four short videos, focuses on issues in China’s financial sector and the problems they may pose to the country’s citizenry. This marks the second consecutive year RFA has won the prestigious award. “RFA’s Mandarin Service deserves full credit for producing a unique series that has shed light on the Chinese economy and its true impact in China,” said Min Mitchell, RFA’s Managing Director for East Asia. “As we have seen with the outbreak of Covid-19 and the authoritarian crackdown in Hong Kong, growing distrust in China of the official narratives makes products like ‘Gray Rhino’ all the more relevant. “This award is a proud moment for all of us at RFA and is a reminder of the importance of investigative journalism in closed countries.” Released in February 2019, when many Chinese households were beginning to feel the negative effects of China’s economic instability, RFA Mandarin’s “Gray Rhino” series takes an in-depth look at major economic problems, such as bad debt in China’s financial and government sectors, and the country’s real estate bubble. With the series, the Mandarin Service’s digital team has provided clear, easy-to-understand analyses of complex issues that are neglected in Chinese domestic media. As of October 2020, the series has reached nearly 400,000 views on YouTube. RFA’s Mandarin Service also won a National Murrow Award [ https://www.rfa.org/about/awards/murrow_award-06182019124513.html | last year ] for “The Women Against the State,” a documentary on China’s “709” Crackdown – a nationwide roundup of lawyers and legal activists that began in July 2015 – and the collective actions of wives of those held in custody at the time. Both of these award-winning productions were created by the Mandarin Service’s digital team. RFA joins CBS News Radio, CNN, and NPR, among others, as winners of this year’s National Murrow Awards. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

4 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Fire Visible From China Destroys Train and Warehouse at North Korean Station

by Paul Eckert

Fire Visible From China Destroys Train and Warehouse at North Korean Station July 10, 2020 - A fire at a train station in the North Korean city of Sinuiju destroyed a freight train carrying hundreds of tons of cooking oil from China and a warehouse full of cargo, witnesses who watched the blaze from across the Chinese border told RFA Friday. People in Dandong, China, across the Yalu river border from Sinuiju reported seeing large columns of smoke rising from the city Thursday morning local time. There has been no word on casualties or the cause of the fire. “Here in Dandong, we could see the black smoke rising more than 100 meters (100 yards) at about 11 a.m. yesterday, near Gangan Station in Sinuiju across the river,” a resident of Dandong told RFA’s Korea Service. The station is 1.8 km (1.1 mile) from the Yalu river and visible from Dandong on clear days. “People from Dandong who were walking along the Yalu stopped in their tracks, wondering what was going on in Sinuiju,” said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely. “A Chinese citizen resident of Sinuiju confirmed that the smoke was caused by a fire at the station,” said the source, adding, “the fire burned a freight train that had arrived at the station after carrying a full load of cargo from Dandong.” According to the source, the black smoke was a result of cooking oil going up in flames. Five of the train’s 15 cars were loaded with soybean oil, which is in short supply in North Korea. “If you consider that a single freight car can carry 50 tons, then it means 250 tons of soybean oil was totally burned, causing the huge amount of smoke. The other 10 cars that were carrying foods such as flour have all been completely burned too,” the source said. The international market price of one ton of soybean oil is estimated to be around U.S. $800. If the source’s estimate is accurate, the cooking oil alone was worth $200,000. Another resident of Dandong, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFA that an acquaintance in Sinuiju who witnessed the fire said firefighters struggled to deal with the situation. “Gangan Station was equipped with a foam fire extinguisher, but people over there say that their initial effort to stop the fire failed because the extinguisher was empty. It did not contain any foam fluid,” the source said. “They also say that no one could get close to the burning train because of all the smoke, caused by the burning soybean oil, which went up only a few minutes after the fire started,” said the source. “So the people at the station who trying to extinguish the fire had no choice but to watch for an hour and a half while all the other valuable cargo stored in the station’s warehouse was burned down,” said the source. According to the second source, trains from Dandong don’t normally stop at Gangan Station after passing through customs. “Instead of departing immediately for Pyongyang, they have to disinfect trains and quarantine the cargo for a certain amount of time to prevent coronavirus from spreading,” said the second source. “The cause of the fire, whether there were any casualties, and how much damage was caused by the fire has yet to be determined,” the second source said. Sinuiju is North Korea’s sixth largest city, with a population of 360,000 people. Reported by Joonho Kim for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/fire-07102020181854.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/fire-07102020181854.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

4 years, 10 months

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Radio Free Asia Condemns Arrest of Vietnamese Blogger

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] Radio Free Asia Condemns Arrest of Vietnamese Blogger WASHINGTON -- Radio Free Asia (RFA) today condemned the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/blogger-arrest-05232020112257.html | arrest ] of Nguyen Tuong Thuy, a Vietnamese blogger who has contributed commentary to RFA’s Vietnamese Service for six years. Police reportedly accused Nguyen of “making, storing, and disseminating documents and materials for anti-state purposes.” Last March, RFA contributing blogger Truong Duy Nhat was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Nguyen Van Hoa, an RFA videographer continues to serve a seven-year jail term. RFA President Bay Fang issued the following statement: “Radio Free Asia condemns the arrest of Nguyen Tuong Thuy, whom we learned was detained today by authorities in Hanoi. This alarming development, while intended to silence free speech, reinforces the need for independent journalism in Vietnam. We urge authorities to grant his immediate and unconditional release.” # # # Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

5 years

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RFA Breaking News: Police, Uyghur Twitter Campaign Contradict China’s Claim to Have Emptied Camps

by Paul Eckert

Police, Uyghur Twitter Campaign Contradict China’s Claim to Have Emptied Camps Aug. 1, 2019 - China’s assertion that it has released 90 percent of the million-plus Uyghurs held in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) internment camps was refuted by police in the region and by members of the Uyghur community living in exile who launched a twitter campaign challenging the claim. China presented the two top ethnic Uyghur officials in the XUAR at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday to deliver a surprising claim that the vast majority of Uyghurs had completed training in re-education camps and rejoined their families. “The majority of people who have undergone education and training have returned to society and returned to their families,” Erkin Tuniyaz, the vice chairman of the XUAR government, told the news conference. “Most have already successfully achieved employment,” he said. “Over 90 percent of the students have returned to society and returned to their families and are living happily,” said Tuniyaz, who was flanked by Shohrat Zakir, the XUAR government chairman. The two Uyghur men work under XUAR Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, the architect of the system that has incarcerated up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas since April 2017. The claims, which were presented without evidence, were met with dismissal and derision by leading human rights experts and Uyghur diaspora groups, who described the statements as the latest in a long history of Chinese disinformation about Xinjiang. One expert warned that released detainees could be drafted for forced labor in factories. “China is making deceptive and unverifiable statements in a vain attempt to allay worldwide concern for the mass detentions of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang,” said Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and South-East Asia. “Given China’s record of heavy censorship, outright falsehoods and systematic obfuscation about the situation in Xinjiang, it remains imperative that UN human rights investigators, independent observers and the media be given unrestricted access to the region as a matter of urgency,” he added. The Germany-based World Uyghur Congress while slamming the Chinese claim noted that Zakir’s own sister and several other relatives have received political asylum in Western countries after fleeing Chinese repression. #prove90% hits Twitter In a view consistent with other human rights and Uyghur groups, Bequelin said Amnesty had “received no reports about large scale releases – in fact, families and friends of people who are being detained tell us they are still not able to contact them.” In an effort to verify the XUAR officials’ assertions RFA’s Uyghur Service, conducted telephone interviews with police in the region. “I did not hear that anybody was released from the education. We would have been informed if anybody had been released,” said a policeman at a village police station in Hotan (Hetian in Chinese). “There are 1700 people in the village, and about 250 of them are in the education camps, and so far we have only one person, aged between 40- 50, who was released,” said the policeman, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity due to the risk of punishment for talking to foreign media. A Uyghur woman in Hotan City told RFA that seven of the 12 houses on her street have been left “ empty and padlocked” by the re-education campaign. “All of them were sent to the education camps for about two years,” she said, describing the detained Uyghurs as all business people from Karakax (Moyu, in Chinese) county in Hotan. “There are fewer people everywhere, even in the city. Stores are open, but there are very few people who are shopping and there is a money shortage,” added the woman. In Kumul (in Chinese, Hami) prefecture, one official in the Kumul city neighborhood committee said he didn’t know that any inmates had been released. Asked about the XUAR government figure presented in Beijing, he then stated: “maybe 90 percent.” Another person from the Kumul city neighborhood committee told RFA, however, that: “We have about 100 people undergoing ‘education’ from our district and three of them were released so far.” Meanwhile, the Uyghurs living in exile with relatives incarcerated in the XUAR have conducted a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #prove90%. “ China show me my parents, my cousin Ilzat and my other relatives. #prove90 % (of) concentration camp detainees (are) being released as you stated. It’s been years since I last heard my parents’ voice,” wrote a man calling himself Alfred Uyghur. ‘Where the hell is my father-in-law?’ Another Uyghur man on Twitter, Arslan Hidayat, wrote “#China says they’ve released 90% of #Uyghurs from “Re-Education” camps, then where the hell is my father-in-law, prominent actor and comedian ‘Adil Mijit’?” Adil Mijit, a well-loved Uyghur comedian, went missing in late 2018, and social media sources as well as anonymous reports shared with RFA confirmed he was now serving a three-year prison term for making a trip to the Muslim holy city of Mecca without authorities’ permission. The latest campaign follows a similar one in February, when after China showed a video of a Uyghur mistakenly thought to have died, the Uyghur exile community had launched a social media campaign under the hashtag #MeTooUyghur, calling on Chinese authorities to release video of their relatives who were missing and believed detained in the vast camp network. Beijing initially denied the existence of internment camps, but changed tack earlier this year and started describing the facilities as “boarding schools” that provide vocational training for Uyghurs, discourage radicalization and help protect the country from terrorism. Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media outlets that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. RFA has also discovered repeatedly that many of the Uyghurs forced to go through vocational training were already highly educated, accomplished professionals in various fields. The mass incarcerations of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kirgiz have prompted increasing calls by the international community to hold Beijing accountable for its actions in the region, and Tuesday’s claim that many Uyghurs were released was seen as an effort to blunt that criticism. The Global Times , a tabloid published by the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, doubled down on the “vocational education” propaganda on Thursday in an editorial praising the purported release of “trainees.” “This time, the autonomous region released a great amount of crucial information on the vocational education and training centers. Information received by the Global Times through other channels also shows that a great number of trainees have indeed graduated and returned to the society,” it said. “Although officials have yet to publish detailed figures, the improving situation of Xinjiang is expanding to all spheres. As a powerful interim measure, the vocational education and training centers play a pivotal role in making these achievements possible,” said the daily. Reported by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/twitter-campaign-08012019163200.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/twitter-campaign-08012019163200.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

5 years

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Radio Free Asia Uyghur Reporter Wins ‘Courage in Journalism’ Award

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 20, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Uyghur Reporter Wins ‘Courage in Journalism’ Award WASHINGTON - [ https://www.rfa.org/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) Uyghur journalist Gulchehra Hoja today was announced as a winner of the [ https://www.iwmf.org/ | International Women’s Media Foundation’s ] Courage in Journalism Award for her coverage of the [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7P2rlLPxro | ongoing human rights abuses ] occurring in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The award, which this year marks the 30th anniversary of its inception, “honors the brave journalists who report on taboo topics, work in environments hostile to women, and share difficult truths. ” “The outstanding journalism of Gulchehra and Radio Free Asia’s Uyghur Service first alerted the world to the human rights crisis in China’s Uyghur Region and continues to remain on the forefront of this evolving story,” said RFA President Bay Fang. “She and her colleagues perpetually face down intimidation and challenges to bring this critical coverage to RFA’s audiences, as well as to the world. This recognition is well deserved.” Hoja said, “I am honored to receive this award, and I hope that this recognition will encourage others in their pursuit of justice and truth.” [ https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/14/asia/uyghur-china-xinjiang-interview-intl/in… | Hoja ] and her colleagues in the Uyghur Service have been at the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/training-camps-09112017154343.html | forefront ] of coverage of the internment of, by credible estimates, more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the XUAR. Members of the service have received widespread [ https://www.economist.com/china/2019/10/24/to-suppress-news-of-xinjiangs-gu… | recognition ] for their contributions to reporting on the crisis. Hoja herself has reported on the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/crematoriums-06262018151126.html?se… | construction of crematoria ] near the internment camps in the XUAR, the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/abuse-10302019142433.html?searchter… | sterilization and sexual abuse ] of female detainees, and the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/children-11082018162416.html | situation facing “orphaned” children ] whose parents have been detained. Hoja, along with at least five [ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/03/radio-free-asia-u… | other members of RFA’s Uyghur Service ] , have had family members in China detained or jailed in retaliation for their work at RFA. Three other journalists were also named winners of this year’s Courage in Journalism Award: Jessikka Aro of Finnish broadcaster [ https://yle.fi/aihe/yleisradio | Yle ] ; imprisoned Egyptian multimedia journalist Solafa Magdy; and Yakeen Bido, a freelance broadcast journalist in Syria. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

5 years

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Radio Free Asia President Renews Call for Release of Journalists, Family Members

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 2, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA President Renews Call for Release of Journalists, Family Members WASHINGTON -- Marking World Press Freedom Day, [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) President Bay Fang reiterated the call to release RFA contributors, former journalists, and family members targeted by authorities in connection with RFA’s journalism. The cause of press freedom has taken on a greater urgency as the world fights back against the COVID-19 pandemic, she stated. “RFA has witnessed governments resorting to the most brutal of methods in cracking down on free press, whether it’s jailing RFA contributors for critical coverage in Vietnam, detaining the relatives of RFA’s Uyghur journalists in China, or prosecuting former RFA reporters on politically motivated charges in Cambodia,” Fang said. “The continued erosion of press freedom in RFA’s broadcast countries, as audiences seek answers, only reinforces the need for independent journalism. “As the world battles a deadly pandemic, journalism and journalists -- and all of those involved in the news-gathering enterprise -- are more essential than ever.” [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA), along with 73 other media outlets, and press freedom and safety groups, signed onto [ https://cpj.org/2020/04/cpj-73-media-and-rights-groups-urge-asian-heads-of.… | a letter ] led by the [ https://cpj.org/ | Committee to Protect Journalists ] (CPJ) urging Asian heads of state to release jailed journalists -- including RFA Vietnamese contributors Truong Duy Nhat and Nguyen Van Hoa. The letter, published Monday on CPJ’s website, invokes the threat that the coronavirus poses to imprisoned populations, and addresses, among other leaders, the heads of state of four RFA broadcast countries (China, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar). Two Cambodian journalists formerly with RFA's Khmer Service, Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin, continue to [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/reporters-court-01272020205952.ht… | face politicized charges ] after a protracted two-and-a-half-year legal battle. At least six of RFA’s Uyghur journalists currently have relatives detained, missing, and jailed in connection with their work in [ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/china-is-harassing-… | exposing ] the human rights crisis in China’s Far West, where at least a million Uyghurs are being held in internment camps. RFA's target countries are among the world’s most repressive media environments, according to [ https://rsf.org/en | Reporters Without Borders’ ] (RSF) recent [ https://rsf.org/en/ranking | 2020 World Press Freedom Index ] . Seven out of RFA’s nine language services broadcast into countries that are ranked among the survey’s bottom 10 places. [ https://freedomhouse.org/ | Freedom House ] , which [ https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores?sort=asc&order=Poli… | assesses ] countries based on political rights and civil liberties afforded to citizens, classifies all of RFA’s broadcast countries as “not free.” “Journalism stands in the way of the CCP and authoritarian rulers in other countries deceiving their publics over their handling of COVID-19,” Fang said earlier in a [ https://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/rfa-journalism-04282020110623.html | commentary ] piece. “Our mission -- despite threats, intimidation, and censorship -- must never cease, as long as there is truth and the public good to be defended.” # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

5 years, 1 month

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‘Journalism Has Never Been More Essential’ -- RFA President Bay Fang

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : April 28, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ‘Journalism Has Never Been More Essential’ -- RFA President Bay Fang WASHINGTON -- Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) President Bay Fang shares insights on how, during the global coronavirus crisis, journalism is “ more essential than ever ” in a new commentary piece. “ By pursuing the truth, journalism stands in the way of the CCP and authoritarian rulers in other countries deceiving their publics over their handling of COVID-19. Independent reporting is necessary to keep citizens informed and help the international community tackle a virus transcending political affiliations and national boundaries ,” Fang states. Read the full commentary [ https://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/rfa-journalism-04282020110623.html | HERE ] . # # # Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

5 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia Documentary on China's Great Famine Wins at New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : April 22, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia’s Great Famine Documentary Wins at New York Festivals Radio Awards Feature on North Korean defectors’ journey also recognized WASHINGTON – [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] ’s (RFA) Mandarin Service was announced yesterday as a gold medal winner at the 2020 [ https://radio.newyorkfestivals.com/ | New York Festivals ] Radio Awards in the Documentary category. The service won a top prize for its piece titled, “ [ https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/duomeiti/tebiejiemu/h-07092019124144.html | China’s Great Famine: Sad Songs of Peasants in a Food War ] ”, a collection of oral histories from survivors of the man-made catastrophe that unfolded between 1959 and 1961. RFA’s Korean Service was recognized as a finalist in the Best Human Interest category for its series on North Korean defectors, “ [ https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/news_indepth/ne-jn-10212019102706.html?… | 13 North Koreans’ 10,000 km Journey in Search of Freedom ] .” “Radio Free Asia’s Mandarin and Korean Services deserve this recognition,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “Whether sharing first-hand accounts of survivors from a brutal period in China or covering the grueling journey of North Korean defectors seeking a better life, RFA journalists bring to light great stories of humanity that need to be told. “For audiences in China and North Korea, two of the world’s worst abusers of media freedom, this brand of in-depth journalism is especially important.” In producing “China’s Great Famine,” Mandarin Service reporters Yun Wang and Yasa Guo worked closely with three Chinese scholars who collected and archived oral accounts from those who endured years of starvation and hardship. These chilling personal stories of the famine, which claimed tens of millions of lives, are shared publicly for the first time. The radio documentary chronicles a horrific chapter in history that has been suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party, which has never reported the actual number of lives lost. For RFA’s finalist entry, the Korean Service’s reporter Jung Min Noh accompanied a rescue mission to cover the incredible journey of 13 North Korean asylum seekers. This group, which included two children, crossed the Mekong River into a country in Southeast Asia, ending a perilous two-month journey to begin the process of seeking asylum in South Korea. Due to concerns over the coronavirus crisis, the New York Festivals Radio Awards ceremony, usually held annually in Manhattan, was cancelled this year. [ https://radio.newyorkfestivals.com/winners/List/0ba71550-d2a9-40b0-9885-f39… | Other winners ] at this year’s New York Festivals Radio Awards include the BBC, CBS, Bloomberg, and Al Jazeera, as well as RFA’s sister network Alhurra. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

5 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Ruling Party Lecturers Admit COVID-19 is Spreading in North Korea, Contradicting Official Claims

by Paul Eckert

RFA Breaking News: Ruling Party Lecturers Admit COVID-19 is Spreading in North Korea, Contradicting Official Claims April 17, 2020 - Authorities in North Korea have been telling citizens in public lectures that there were confirmed cases of coronavirus within the reclusive country’s borders as early as late March, contradicting Pyongyang’s claims that it remains free of the epidemic that has spread to all of its neighbors, RFA has learned. Two sources within North Korea say the government held lectures at every organization and neighborhood watch unit in late March to educate people about the pandemic, where speakers publicly stated that COVID-19 was spreading in three specific areas of the country. “[They] held a lecture session for all the residents titled ‘Let’s all work together on the coronavirus quarantine project to [successfully] implement the Supreme Leader’s policies,’” a resident in Ryanggang province, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, told RFA’s Korean Service Thursday. “The speaker at the lecture publicly stated that there were confirmed coronavirus patients among [the people],” the source added. “They said that the [Korean Workers’] Party’s quarantine guidelines had not been implemented properly by us, and that this caused serious damage to the people’s economy,” the source said. “The speaker appealed to us all to prevent [further] damage [to society] so we can together win the war against the coronavirus,” said the source. North Korea’s dilapidated, underfunded health-care system – where some hospitals lack reliable running water and electricity – leaves the population particularly vulnerable to a pandemic. The announcement that there were North Koreans who had contracted the virus did not sit well with residents in attendance, according to the source. “They were wondering how it could be possible when the authorities had been claiming that there were no victims in North Korea thanks to the party’s thorough emergency quarantine measures,” the source said. The source said authorities had been touting these policies and contrasting North Korea’s situation with that of South Korea and the rest of the world, where large numbers were falling ill and dying. “The speaker reiterated that North Korea has the most superior socialist healthcare system, making it the country with the fewest confirmed cases in the world,” said the source. Suspicious residents The authorities, he added, told the audience for the mandatory lectures that in North Korea, which is the size of the U.S. state of Missisippi, there were confirmed cases in only three areas – Pyongyang, South Hwanghae province, and North Hamgyong province. But residents found that to be suspicious. “North Hamgyong and South Hwanghae are located at the top and bottom of the map of our country, and Pyongyang is in the middle. Can you believe that there are confirmed cases in only these three areas?” questioned the source. “If the virus spread from the northern end of the country [near the border with China] to the southern end, it means it has to have spread across the entire country.” Another source who requested anonymity told RFA from Pyongyang on Wednesday that the lectures were held in the capital as well and the same claims were made. “The lecturer told us we should be proud that we live in the country with the fewest confirmed coronavirus cases because of our socialist medical system and healthcare policies,” said the second source. “They even told us that we should pledge our undying loyalty to our leader for providing us with such a great healthcare system,” the second source said. The attendees in Pyongyang, however, did the exact opposite. “They say that the Supreme Leader [Kim Jong Un] did nothing for residents who are struggling to make ends meet. They are criticizing the authorities for blaming the people for failing to implement the party’s quarantine guidelines [instead of themselves]” On April 1, Pyongyang publicly declared to foreign media that its preventative measures against the deadly virus were 100 percent successful and that not a single case existed in the country. “Not one single person has been infected with the novel coronavirus in our country so far,” Pak Myong Su, director of the anti-epidemic department of North Korea’s Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, told a news conference. He attributed this to measures such as the closure of borders and quarantine and inspection procedures. Since the epidemic flared up in China in January, RFA’s Korean Service has reported on Pyongyang’s extensive preventative measures, including the quarantine of entire counties near the Chinese border, the cancellation of key political and cultural events, and the establishment of a quarantine center in a large Pyongyang hotel. Porous border with China The government also isolated foreign residents and those who recently had been to China, issued mandates that citizens don facemasks while in public, cancelled public meetings in favor of video conferences, and suspended trade with China. But despite these measures and those reported by other outlets, Pyongyang never reported a single confirmed case of the virus. Outside experts have publicly expressed their doubts, saying it is very likely that it crossed into North Korea from China in the early days of the epidemic, because the long border is quite porous. On top of that, North Korea’s healthcare system largely collapsed during a 1990s famine and remains rudimentary and resource-starved. But according to data presented by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering, as of Friday, Pyongyang has still not reported any cases, a fact clearly contradicted by the statements made at the late March community lectures to the North Korean people. RFA and other media outlets have reported many mysterious deaths in North Korea without confirming they were due to COVID 19. In February, RFA reported that a hospital in Chongjin, North Hamgyong hurriedly cremated patients who had died of pneumonia-like symptoms and that the entire hospital had to be disinfected. An official told RFA that the fact that the hospital cremated the bodies instead of allowing the deceased patients’ families to perform the rite was highly irregular and indicated that they likely died of a highly contagious disease. Earlier this month, a local reporter for the Japan-based Asia Press reported that Chongjin had a growing number of suspected COVID-19 cases, with patients showing symptoms of cough and high-fever, some of whom perished. As of Friday, the WHO did not reply to questions from RFA on the lecturers’ admission that COVID-19 has taken hold in Pyongyang, North Hamgyong and South Hwanghae. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/confirmed-coronavirus-04172020192920… | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/confirmed-coronavirus-04172020192920… ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

5 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia Hosts Secure Websites for Audiences with Restricted Access

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : April 17, 2020 Contact : Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] Radio Free Asia Hosts Secure Mirror Websites for Asian, Chinese Audiences Sites circumvent blocking, improve access to COVID-19 and other sensitive coverage WASHINGTON – [ https://www.rfa.org/english | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA), in partnership with the [ https://www.opentech.fund/ | Open Technology Fund ] (OTF), is hosting dedicated .onion addresses for its Mandarin and Cantonese Services’ websites, in addition to its English-language site. These sites enhance the ability of audiences in restricted media environments, including mainland China, to securely access RFA’s up-to-date, accurate reports and content on the [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/coronavirus/ | coronavirus ] pandemic, among other topics deemed sensitive to censors. “Radio Free Asia’s mission is to inform audiences in China about critical developments and topics that are censored in state media,” said Bay Fang, RFA’s President. “With the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and the abuse of information about it via China’s official media, this responsibility for our organization takes on an even greater urgency. These secure websites will help to protect and empower our audiences, whether they are in mainland China, where RFA’s online content is blocked, or in Hong Kong where the growing threat of surveillance can have a chilling effect on freedom of information.” “RFA’s decision to begin hosting dedicated Tor .onion sites will only make it easier for audiences in Asia to get around censors and access news and information relevant to their everyday lives,” said Sarah Aoun, Director of Technology at OTF. “RFA continues to leverage the power of technology in order to further fulfill its mission of bringing free press to closed societies.” In hosting .onion websites, RFA joins other news organizations such as the [ https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50150981 | BBC ] and [ https://www.dw.com/en/deutsche-welle-websites-now-accessible-via-tor-protoc… | Deutsche Welle ] in making its content available on this secure network. In the months since the coronavirus outbreak, RFA Mandarin has seen a boost in visits to its website, along with sharp increases in the number of user profiles following the service’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Concerns about blocking by Chinese authorities, who tightly control the narrative around major news developments, were a significant factor in the decision to better ensure access to RFA’s timely reports. These include RFA’s recent investigation into [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/wuhan-deaths-03272020182846.html | the official statistics ] of Wuhan's coronavirus fatalities, as well as coverage of Hong Kong’s [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-police-01162020132158.html | pro-democracy movement ] , and the crackdown on ethnic minorities such as [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/locked-up-in-china/ | Uyghurs ] and [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet | Tibetans ] , among other restricted issues. China’s vast filtering and censorship of its internet and social media platforms has earned it the dubious distinction of being “the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom,” according to [ https://www.freedomonthenet.org/report/freedom-on-the-net/2019/the-crisis-o… | Freedom House ] . RFA’s .onion websites are: English: [ https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/english/ | https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/english/ ] Cantonese: [ https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/cantonese/ | https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/cantonese/ ] Mandarin: [ https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/mandarin/ | https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/mandarin/ ] Users who download the Firefox-based Tor browser and use the appropriate web addresses will be able to obfuscate their identity and the websites they are attempting to access. (These addresses are not accessible when using non-Tor browsers.) In order to protect users’ privacy, Tor [ https://www.torproject.org/about/history/ | routes internet traffic through multiple servers ] , encrypting it at each step. The Tor Project receives funding from a number of organizations, including OTF, which became an independent nonprofit organization in 2019 after operating as an RFA program for seven years. (RFA and OTF are both funded through an annual grant from the [ https://www.usagm.gov/ | U.S. Agency for Global Media ] .) # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. [ https://www.rfa62zl6z6owmtlf.onion/cantonese/ ] Rohit Mahajan Vice President of Communications and External Relations Radio Free Asia

5 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia Condemns Conviction of Vietnamese Blogger Truong Duy Nhat

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2020 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Condemns Conviction of Vietnamese Blogger and RFA Contributor Truong Duy Nhat WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia's President Bay Fang issued the following statement today in response to the conviction and sentencing of Truong Duy Nhat, a blogger who contributed to Radio Free Asia's Vietnamese Service, prior to his detention early last year. "Radio Free Asia categorically condemns the unjust conviction of Truong Duy Nhat," Fang said. "This deplorable act by Vietnamese authorities delivers another blow against free speech and free expression. "This miscarriage of justice only reinforces RFA's mission to provide the people of Vietnam with uncensored perspectives, and accurate news and information." The Hanoi People's Court convicted Nhat for "abusing his position <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/charges-07252019152437.html> and authority while on duty" over alleged fraud involving state property while serving as bureau chief at a newspaper in Danang city between 2003-2004. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His lawyer says he will appeal. Nhat, whose journalism had gotten him into trouble with Vietnamese authorities in the past, was abducted in January 2019 in Thailand after applying for asylum and brought back to Vietnam by force against his will. Two months later, RFA confirmed <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/blogger-hanoi-03202019175732.htm l> he was being held at T16 prison in Hanoi. In November 2019, Nhat's lawyer was convicted <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/sentenced-11152019155826.html> for tax evasion, a charge that critics believed was linked to willingness to represent him. Nhat is an established writer and journalist, well-known before contributing to RFA. He was jailed in Vietnam from 2013 to 2015 for his writings critical of the government. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 3 months

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Statement of RFA President on Former Cambodia Journalists’ Appeal

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 27, 2020 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 |mahajanr(a)rfa.org Statement of RFA President on Former Cambodia Journalists’ Appeal WASHINGTON – The appeal by former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin to drop the reinvestigation into espionage charges laid against them was rejected by Cambodia’s Appeals Court today. The two were arrested after RFA was forced to close its Phnom Penh bureau in the fall of 2017. RFA President Bay Fang made the following statement: “Today’s decision is a disappointment. The legal limbo that Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin have endured for more than two years still drags on, as does the threat of long prison terms. Cambodian authorities should heed what the international community is telling them: This legal process is deeply unfair and undermines the principles of free expression and respect for a free press that are enshrined in Cambodia’s constitution. The case against Chhin and Sothearin should be dismissed.” # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 4 months

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RFA Publishes Rebel Pepper e-Book with Hong Kong, Uyghur Focus

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 9, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> RFA Publishes Rebel Pepper e-Book with Hong Kong, Uyghur Focus WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english> (RFA) has released its second e-book featuring the artwork of Wang Liming, RFA's award-winning resident political cartoonist, known to many by his pen name "Rebel Pepper." The 60 illustrations, caricatures, and cartoons included in the latest volume, titled "Eyes on China: A Cartoonist's Take on Hong Kong, the Uyghurs, and More," display Wang's knack for commenting on complex newsworthy topics through wit and humor. This edition homes in on the ongoing human rights abuses <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur> in China's Uyghur Region and the months-long pro-democracy protests <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-protest-01062020121707.ht ml> in Hong Kong -- two unfolding sagas covered closely by RFA's journalists and language services. The e-book is available free to download on iTunes <https://books.apple.com/us/book/eyes-on-china-cartoonists-take-on-hong-ko ng-uyghurs/id1493018048?ls=1> , Google Play <https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Radio_Free_Asia_Eyes_on_China _A_Cartoonist_s_Take?id=EVLHDwAAQBAJ> , and on RFA's e-book shelf <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> . "Rebel Pepper uses his trademark brand of political and social satire to focus on the pressing issues of the day for Radio Free Asia's audiences," said RFA President Bay Fang. "This new volume spotlights Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests and China's mass oppression of the Uyghurs, bringing an incisive, artistic perspective to two of the most critical stories that RFA has covered extensively." Wang grew up in China, where he began producing artwork on the many "sensitive" subjects deemed taboo by the ruling Communist Party. The severe restrictions on freedom to discuss certain political topics stifled his creativity, and his cartoons drew the ire of party officials. Wang was forced to leave his native China for Japan in 2014, before moving to Washington, D.C., where he started working for RFA in 2017. "As a political cartoonist in the United States, I am able to express myself in ways that are off-limits to people in China," said Wang. "It's my hope that through my work in this e-book more people can learn about the hugely significant issues that the Chinese government, and other repressive governments in Asia, try so hard to keep hidden." RFA previously published <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/politicalcartoonist-ebook-121320171158 27.html?searchterm:utf8:ustring=%20rebel%20pepper> another e-book featuring Wang's artwork, "Drawing Fire: The Political Cartoons of Rebel Pepper," in December 2017, for which Wang was awarded the Society of Professional Journalists <https://www.spj.org/> ' Sigma Delta Chi Award. Wang's cartoons have also been featured in the Japanese edition of Newsweek, Index of Censorship and China Digital Times. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 5 months

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RFA Breaking News: Former Tibetan Monk Stages Fatal Self-Immolation Protest in Ngaba

by Paul Eckert

Former Tibetan Monk Stages Fatal Self-Immolation Protest in Ngaba Nov. 28, 2019 - A young Tibetan man set himself on fire in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county, a Tibetan region in the western Chinese province of Sichuan, this week in a protest against Chinese rule in Tibet, exile sources familiar with the case said on Thursday. "24-year-old Youten self-immolated on November 26, around 4 p.m. local time, in a village in Meruma township, Ngaba. He died on the spot," said Kanyag Tsering, a Dharamsala, India-based Tibetan. "After the self-immolation occurred, it was not known if the family could take possession of his remains. Due to clampdown on communication channels, details in the aftermath of the self-immolation are hard to ascertain," he said. Ngaba's main town and nearby Kirti monastery have been the scene of repeated self-immolations and other protests in recent years by monks, former monks, and other Tibetans calling for Tibetan freedom and the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet. "In Ngaba Meruma township, nearby monasteries and the markets in public places remained closely monitored and under surveillance, and this has affected people's normal life," said Tsering. Tsering identified Youten as the son of father Sodhon and mother Tsekho Kyi, who are residents of Meruma. "Youten was a monk in his childhood at Ngaba's Kirti monastery, and later disrobed and spent his time in nomadic areas," he said. Youten's protest follows the December 2018 self-immolation of DrukKho, also in Ngaba, and brings to 156 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans since the wave of fiery protests against Chinese rule of their homeland began in 2009. Reported by RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/ngaba-immolation-11282019081135.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( <https://www.usagm.gov/home/> USAGM). If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Expert Says 1.8 Million Uyghurs, Muslim Minorities Held in Xinjiang's Internment Camps

by Paul Eckert

>> >> >> >> >> Expert Says 1.8 Million Uyghurs, Muslim Minorities Held in Xinjiang’s Internment Camps >> >> Nov. 24, 2019 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have detained up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in as many as 1,300 to 1,400 internment camps, one of the world’s foremost experts on mass incarcerations in the region said in a paper released Sunday. >> >> Adrian Zenz, senior fellow in China Studies at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, obtained a cache of more than 25,000 files from different government departments in the XUAR to inform his latest estimate of the number of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities being held in a vast network of camps in the region since April 2017. >> >> Zenz had initially estimated that some 1.1 million people are or have been detained in the camps, which he refers to as Vocational Training Internment Camps (VTICs), but in March this year revised his assessment to 1.5 million. Camp inmates have been accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas. >> >> “Adding 177,000 to the current internment estimate of 1.6 million results in a combined figure of 1.777 million, or approximately 1.8 million,” he said in the report, which also cited members of the Hui Muslim minority as being among those detained. >> >> “This means that 15.4 percent of the adult Turkic and Hui minority population are or have been interned. This is equivalent to just below one in six members of that population, with the difference to the author's previous estimate from July 2019 of 1.5 million being explained by using updated population figures, including the Hui population in the sample.” >> >> Zenz said that his new estimate was based on information obtained mostly from rural minority regions in the XUAR’s Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian), Kashgar (Kashi), and Kizilsu Kirghiz (Kezileisu Keerkezi) Autonomous prefectures. >> >> Camps in the region number up to 1,400, Zenz said in Sunday’s report, providing more specific details following an interview with RFA’s Uyghur Service earlier this month, in which he said that he had obtained convincing evidence to suggest that his “original estimate of at least one camp per administrative unit between township and prefecture levels, which adds up to 1,200, was accurate.” >> >> “Xinjiang has at least 119 detention centers, one per administrative unit above township level,” the report said. >> >> “Likely, there are more than that. That means that the region has probably somewhere between 1,300 and 1,400 extrajudicial internment facilities (excluding prisons).” >> >> In one tranche of data included in Sunday’s report, Zenz posted a spreadsheet containing detailed information on nearly 1,500 persons detained from just one village in Kashgar’s Yarkand (Shache) county, with the last six digits of their identification numbers redacted for privacy reasons. >> >> The report more generally includes lists of detainees including “young persons with their status of study or work, lists of children with both parents in some form of detention and how they are being cared for, lists of couples of mixed ethnicity and whether they still live together, lists of families and their >> fulfillment of family planning requirements.” >> >> It also details “lists of persons below the poverty line or who are currently (or no longer) receiving minimum welfare payments, or lists of persons who have failed or are unable to repay their government-issued debt.” >> >> ‘Coercive and abusive’ >> >> While Beijing once denied the existence of the camps, China this year changed tack and began describing the facilities as “boarding schools” that provide vocational training for Uyghurs, discourage radicalization, and help protect the country from terrorism. >> >> Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. >> >> According to Zenz’s report, official government documentation “repeatedly and unambiguously testifies to the fact that Xinjiang’s VTICs engage in known and pre-existing forms of coercive and abusive political >> re-education.” >> >> He cites at least five different XUAR government or educational institution websites as stating that the VTICs “are dedicated brain-washing institutions” that claim to “wash clean the brains of people >> who became bewitched by the extreme religious ideologies of the ‘three forces,’” or the terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism China says are threatening Xinjiang. >> >> Zenz’s report also bolsters reports that internment camp detainees are “in involuntary internment” and that the camps are “heavily guarded, prison-like facilities.” >> >> Shifting strategy >> >> Speaking with RFA earlier this month, Zenz said that China significantly increased its internment and internment capacity in the XUAR in 2018, but gradually shifted from “vocational training” into what he called “involuntary or coercive forms of labor” in the second half of last year. >> >> Zenz said that while it is difficult to confirm such trends, as there is limited evidence to work from and China’s government doesn’t provide statistics, he believes that “in 2019 Xinjiang has been moving from internment into forced labor.” >> >> Last month, at a hearing in Washington held by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), witnesses including Zenz highlighted reports of a widespread system of forced labor in the XUAR, which requires Uyghurs and other ethnic minority Muslims to work in the production of textiles, food, and light manufacturing. >> >> Zenz detailed a forced labor system he called even “more shocking” than that of the internment camps, which he said involved coerced military, political, and vocational training for the purpose of working in officially subsidized companies as part of a “business of oppression.” >> >> China is the world’s largest cotton producer and Zenz noted that some 84 percent of China’s cotton is produced in the XUAR, meaning that between the textile industry and other forms of work—including on components that are sent to eastern China and incorporated into finished products—it is extremely difficult for customs officials in the U.S. to determine whether imported goods are linked to forced labor in the region. >> >> He said at the time that “the situation in Xinjiang is so serious, that it is necessary and warranted to call for an ethical boycott of any products made in whole or in part in Xinjiang.” >> >> Mass incarcerations >> >> Mass incarcerations in the XUAR, as well as other policies seen to violate the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslims, have led to increasing calls by the international community to hold Beijing accountable for its actions in the region. >> >> U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month singled out China as one of the worst perpetrators of abuse against people of faith, particularly in the XUAR. >> >> In September, at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan said that the U.N. has failed to hold China to account over its policies in the XUAR and should demand unfettered access to the region to investigate reports of the mass incarceration and other rights abuses against Uyghurs. >> >> On Saturday, The New York Times published a 403-page trove of documents it said were released by someone within the “Chinese political establishment” that told of how Xi called for an “all-out ‘struggle against terrorism, infiltration, and separatism’ using the ‘organs of dictatorship,’” in internal speeches following an attack by Uyghur militants that killed more than 30 people at a train station in 2014. >> >> While it was unclear how the documents, commonly referred to as the “Xinjiang Papers,” were selected, the Times said that the leak came from an official who requested anonymity and expressed hope that their disclosure would hold party leaders, including Xi, accountable for policies in the region. >> >> View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/detainees-11232019223242.html >> >> Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). >> >> If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Rohingya Genocide Case Against Myanmar Based on ‘Compelling’ Evidence: Lawyer

by Paul Eckert

Rohingya Genocide Case Against Myanmar Based on ‘Compelling’ Evidence: Lawyer Nov. 21, 2019 - An attorney assisting Gambia with its lawsuit against Myanmar for state-sponsored genocide at the U.N.’s top court said Thursday that he is confident that the West African nation will win the case based on copious, strong evidence of army atrocities against the Muslim Rohingyas. “The evidence is plentiful,” Paul Reichler, an attorney at Foley Hoag LLC in Washington told RFA’s Myanmar Service. He spoke a day after the Myanmar government announced that State Counselor and Foreign Affairs Minister Aung San Suu Kyi would lead a team in defending the country at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the Netherlands. “There are many, many fact-finding reports by U.N. missions, by special rapporteurs, by human rights organizations,” Reichler said. “There is satellite photography, and there are many, many statements by officials and army personnel from Myanmar which altogether show that the intention of the state of Myanmar has been to destroy the Rohingya as a group in whole or in part,” he said. “And we’re very confident that at the end of the day the evidence will be so compelling that the court will agree with The Gambia,” he said. In the lawsuit filed 10 days ago, Muslim-majority Gambia accuses Myanmar of breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention for the brutal military-led crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017 that left thousands dead and drove more than 740,000 across the border into Bangladesh. The West African country filed the lawsuit on behalf of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The first public hearings at the ICJ will be held on Dec. 10-12. Myanmar has largely denied that its military was responsible for the violence in Rakhine state, which included indiscriminate killings, mass rape, torture, and village burnings, and has defended the crackdown as a counterinsurgency against a group of Muslim militants. The government has also dismissed credible evidence in numerous reports and satellite imagery that point to the atrocities, and claimed that the Rohingya burned down their own communities and blamed soldiers. Myanmar’s powerful military and the civilian-led government are together working with legal experts to take on the lawsuit, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, quoting military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun. Separate cases pertaining to the persecution of the Rohingya have been filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and in an Argentine court, the latter of which names Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and top military commanders deemed responsible for the atrocities. Myanmar has refused to cooperate with the ICC because the country is not a party to the Rome Statute which created the international court. O n Thursday, Christine Schraner Burgener, the U.N. special envoy on Myanmar, welcomed the Southeast Asia country’s decision to defend itself before the ICJ. The special envoy ended a 10-day mission to Myanmar on Nov. 21 during which she met with government and military official, diplomats, think tanks and U.N. agencies. “She welcomed the government’s position on the case filed by The Gambia to the International Court of Justice that, as a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide since 1956, Myanmar would take its international obligations seriously and would defend itself in front of the ICJ,” said a statement issued by the U.N.’s Myanmar office. State responsible for army actions Some of Myanmar’s top rights attorneys meanwhile weighed in on Aung San Suu Kyi’s decision to appear before the ICJ. “As a foreign minister, it is reasonable that she will lead the defense team,” said Thein Than Oo, one of the founding members of the Myanmar Lawyers’ Network. “As a leader of the country, Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyi has consistently denied the accusations. This charge is not just for human rights violations. She will be defending the genocide accusation. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has consistently denied that charge. I think she will deny it in the court too. She has to.” Kyi Myint, chairman of the Union Attorney and Legal Aid Association, raised questions about the ICJ’s impartiality. “We’ve got a very short period for preparation,” he said. “It’s less than 20 days. They should give us between three and six months, so that we have enough time to prepare the defense.” Kyi Myint went on to say that Aung San Suu Kyi should point out her limited authority over the military, as mandated in Myanmar’s constitution “During the defense at the court, she should demonstrate her limited authorities over the military, showing them a copy of the 2008 constitution,” he said. “If she is willing to take the fall when the military is silent, that’s up to her.” But Reichler said that would provide no protection for Aung San Suu Kyi. “The army is part of the state. The civilian government is part of the state,” he said. “The state is responsible for the behavior of agents, of its organs, of its entities, of its ministries and of its military forces,” he added. “The idea that there are people in the government who oppose genocide … does not absolve the state of the responsibility that it has for operations of a different part of its government,” Reichler said. “The state is responsible whether the civilians support that genocide or not. It is the state that is carrying it out, whether it is the civilians or the military,” he said. Damage to country’s image Representatives from Myanmar’s political parties defended the government. Pyone Kathy Naing, a lawmaker from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, said that the West has misunderstood the term “clearance operations,” the actions that Myanmar security forces took in Rohingya communities in Rakhine state in 2017 in response to deadly attacks by a Muslim militant group. ‘The term ‘clearance operation’ is misunderstood in the Western world,” she said. “The military’s clearance operations were to clear out the terrorists — not to drive out the [Muslims]. We need to clarify it.’ “For the lawsuit, we need to counter strategically with a highly expert legal team,” she added. Soe Thein, an independent legislator and former minister of the President’s Office agreed, saying, “We need to fight back with an expert international legal teams — spending millions of dollars.” Oo Hla Saw, a lower house lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP), raised concern over the impact that the ICJ lawsuit would have on Myanmar. “This lawsuit’s impact on our society will be huge, especially because our country’s image will be damaged whether we win or lose since we are accused of rights violations,” he said. “The second thing is economic impact,” he said. “We will be isolated. We might be sanctioned by large western countries. Nobody can be sure, but the impact will be huge because Western countries and the OIC countries will be influencing these motives.” “This will be a very big problem for us,” he added. Reported by Ye Kaung Myint Maung, Khin Khin Ei, Nay Myo Htun, Thet Su Aung, Thiha Tun, and Phyu Phyu Khaing for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung and Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Roseanne Geri n. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/rohingya-genocide-case-against-mya… | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/rohingya-genocide-case-against-mya… ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

5 years, 6 months

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Bay Fang Named Radio Free Asia's New President

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 20, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Bay Fang Named Radio Free Asia's New President WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia's (RFA) board of directors has appointed Bay Fang as the company's new President, effective today, Nov. 20. Fang replaces Libby Liu, who will serve as an advisor/counselor during a period of transition. "Bay Fang is an excellent choice to lead Radio Free Asia," said RFA and United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Board Chairman Ken Weinstein. "She brings rich expertise in journalism and foreign policy to ensure RFA fulfills its crucial mission in spite of overwhelming challenges throughout the region. Radio Free Asia leads the world in exposing atrocities in Xinjiang, Tibet, North Korea and throughout Southeast Asia. RFA is a lifeline for people living under repression -- giving them the truth and a voice." Fang said, "I'm deeply honored by this opportunity to lead Radio Free Asia. For people living under authoritarian rule, RFA is a lifeline that both informs and empowers through its unique journalism, at the forefront of so many critical stories in Asia. As President of RFA, I vow to continue on the path of success carved out by RFA's brave journalists and expand the organization's capacity to bring free press to people living in closed societies." Fang has served as RFA's Executive Editor since October 2016 and was originally hired as the Managing Director for East Asia in 2015. Fang has worked closely with RFA leadership and USAGM on the company's strategic journalistic initiatives and held responsibilities relating essentially to all sectors of RFA operations. Fang's major investigative ventures include a ground-breaking series on North Korea <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/nk-labor-overseas-04052016112935.html> 's means of skirting international sanctions through forced overseas labor around the world, and numerous multimedia projects showcasing RFA's in-depth journalism on China <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/china-reach/> 's influence in Southeast Asia, the surveillance state in the Uyghur and Tibetan regions, and the legacy of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. In addition she edited and helped to produce the award-winning e-book featuring the work of RFA resident political cartoonist Rebel Pepper, which received the Sigma Delta Chi award <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rebel-pepper-04252018063549.html> by the Society of Professional Journalists. A longtime journalist and former diplomat, Fang has served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, overseeing public diplomacy and public affairs for Europe and Eurasia. Her 20-plus-year career in journalism includes serving as the Diplomatic Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, and covering the wars in Afghanistan (2001-2002) and Iraq (2003-2004) for U.S. News and World Report magazine. She started her career as the Beijing Bureau Chief for US News & World Report, where she won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for her story "China's Stolen Wives." Fang earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University, and was a Fulbright scholar in Hong Kong and a visiting fellow at Oxford University. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 6 months

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Radio Free Asia Uyghur Journalist Wins Magnitsky Human Rights Award

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 15, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Uyghur Journalist Wins Magnitsky Human Rights Award WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia's (RFA) Uyghur Service journalist Gulchehra Hoja last night received a Magnitsky Human Rights Award at a ceremony in London <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svElzDHyJg> for her reporting on the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crisis <https://www.economist.com/china/2019/10/24/to-suppress-news-of-xinjiangs- gulag-china-threatens-uighurs-abroad> in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). "Gulchehra and RFA's Uyghur Service have worked tirelessly to bring to light the human rights abuses happening in China's Uyghur region," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "We must also remember the extraordinary pressure facing her and her fellow journalists in RFA Uyghur, as Chinese authorities have targeted their family members in China in retaliation. "Heroically, Gulchehra and her colleagues have not let this unacceptable emotional intimidation stop them from keeping RFA audiences and the world informed about an unfolding humanitarian crisis affecting millions." Hoja said, "It is an honor to be recognized with this award for my reporting about the dire situation in China's Far West for the Uyghurs. My colleagues and I know that no matter the obstacles or the adversity we face, it is crucial that we continue to reveal the truth." Along with her colleagues in RFA's Uyghur Service, Hoja <https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/14/asia/uyghur-china-xinjiang-interview-intl/ index.html> has been at the forefront <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/training-camps-09112017154343.htm l> of coverage of the internment of, by many estimates, more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the XUAR. RFA, the only outlet outside China that has a Uyghur-language service, has received wide recognition for first reporting on the mass internments and related developments in the XUAR. The Economist recently published an editorial <https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/10/24/knowledge-of-chinas-gulag-ow es-much-to-american-backed-radio> noting RFA's ability "to penetrate China's wall of secrecy in Xinjiang by pumping local sources for information, using their own language." Hoja began her career in journalism in the XUAR with Chinese state media. But when she first heard RFA's reports during a trip to Germany in the summer of 2001, she was inspired to leave China and join RFA. Hoja shortly thereafter settled in the United States and became a full-time journalist with RFA in October of that same year, and later a U.S. citizen. Among many other stories, Hoja has reported on the construction of crematoria <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/crematoriums-06262018151126.html? searchterm:utf8:ustring=%20crematoria> near the internment camps in the XUAR, the sterilization and sexual abuse <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/abuse-10302019142433.html?searcht erm:utf8:ustring=%20gulchehra%20hoja> of female detainees, and the situation facing <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/children-11082018162416.html> "orphaned" children, whose parents have been detained. Hoja is among at least six members of RFA <https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/03/radio-free-asia -uighur-service/583687/> 's Uyghur Service who have family members in China who are missing, detained, or jailed in retaliation for these RFA journalists' work. The Magnitsky Human Rights Awards were established in 2015 to recognize brave journalists, politicians, and activists for human rights-related work. This year's honorees included Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of the media outlet Rappler, and the late Jamal Kashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist and critic of the Saudi government, who was slain in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Past winners of the Magnitsky Award have included journalists from Radio Free Europe, Bellingcat, and MBK Media. This instance marks the first time a journalist from RFA has been recognized. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 6 months

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RFA President's Statement on Cambodia Journalists' Arrest Anniversary

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 14, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Statement of Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia, on Anniversary of Arrest of Ex-RFA Journalists in Cambodia WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia President Libby Liu today issued the following statement on the two-year anniversary of the arrest of Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, two former RFA journalists in Cambodia, who still face charges, including "espionage," in connection with their work for RFA. On Nov. 11, The Bangkok Post published Liu's related op-ed <https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1791569/hun-sens-media-witch- hunt-must-end> . Liu's statement is as follows: "For two years, journalists Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin have been forced to endure a never-ending nightmare at the hands of Cambodian authorities. Their unjust prosecution is emblematic of the struggle for press freedom and free expression in Cambodia. "On the anniversary of their arrest - when Sothearin and Chhin's ordeal began - there is an opportunity to do the right thing by dropping the unsubstantiated charges against them. Authorities can end a pointless persecution of two proud journalists and rekindle some hope for a free press in Cambodia." # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 6 months

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'Hun Sen's media witch-hunt must end': Libby Liu in Bangkok Post

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 11, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> 'Hun Sen's Media Witch-Hunt Must End': Radio Free Asia President in Bangkok Post Liu's Op-Ed Condemns 'Arbitrary' Legal Ordeal of Two Ex-RFA Cambodia Journalists WASHINGTON - The Bangkok Post today published an opinion piece by Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Libby Liu calling for an end to the "pointless persecution" of two former RFA journalists in Cambodia, while addressing broader press freedom issues in the country. Liu's op-ed, "Hun Sen's Media Witch-Hunt Must End <https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1791569/hun-sens-media-witch- hunt-must-end> (11/11)" comes on the week of the two-year anniversary arrest of Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin, who were taken into custody on Nov. 14, 2017. Though their trial ended in August 2019 without a verdict, they still face charges <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cambodia-media/cambodian-judge-orders- reinvestigation-of-spying-case-against-reporters-idUSKBN1WI052> , including "espionage" in connection for allegedly working for RFA after it was forced to close <https://cpj.org/2017/09/radio-free-asia-suspends-operations-in-cambodia.p hp> its Phnom Penh bureau in September 2017. "Two years after their arrest on outlandish charges of 'espionage,' two of Cambodia's finest journalists are snared by a government assault on free expression," Liu states in the piece. "The prosecution of Chhin, a cameraman, and Sothearin, an editor and anchor, has proceeded despite a dearth of evidence. "It undermines the high-minded declaration of the Cambodian government in December that it 'cherishes' a free press and that RFA would be welcome to re-open its in-country bureau." Sothearin and Chhin were freed on bail in August 2018, after being detained nine months. But Cambodian authorities still pursued their prosecution and they were put on trial <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/in-cambodia-journ alism-has-become-a-crime/2019/08/23/52e57b0c-afb9-11e9-bc5c-e73b603e7f38_s tory.html?tid=lk_inline_manual_9> in the summer of 2019. In May 2019, after Reporters Without Borders <https://rsf.org/en/news/two-cambodian-journalists-arrested-two-others-abo ut-go-trial> referred the case to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the group concluded that their detention was unmerited <https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Detention/Opinions/Session84/A_HRC _WGAD_2019_3.pdf> . After their verdict was delayed twice following the conclusion of their trial in early August 2019, on Oct. 3, the presiding judge ordered a "reinvestigation" - effectively reopening the case despite there being insufficient evidence for a conviction. The move was decried by rights groups and others, including 37 civil society organizations - such as Amnesty International, IFEX and a number of Cambodian NGOs - that made a joint statement <https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/04/civil-society-organizations-condemn-c ontinued-investigation-ex-rfa-journalists-yeang> condemning the continued investigation of the two men. Members of the U.S. Congress have repeatedly called for charges to be dropped <https://yoho.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/yoho-chabot-lowenthal- schiff-and-sherman-sherman-release-statement-on> . Last week, a bipartisan U.S. Senate resolution on Cambodia was introduced <https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-durbin- and-cruz-call-on-cambodian-government-to-allow-the-peaceful-return-of-oppo sition-party-members-and-democracy-activists> , calling for an end to "judicial harassment <https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Cambodia%20opposition%20party %20members%202019.pdf> " of journalists, citing Sothearin and Chhin's ordeal. The two men recently appealed <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/appeal-10172019172853.html> the decision to reinvestigate their case. # # # Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: At Least 150 Detainees Have Died in One Xinjiang Internment Camp: Police Officer

by Paul Eckert

At Least 150 Detainees Have Died in One Xinjiang Internment Camp: Police Officer Oct. 29, 2019 - At least 150 people have died over the course of six months while detained at an internment camp for mainly ethnic Uyghurs in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), according to an official source, marking the first confirmation of mass deaths since the camps were introduced in 2017. A police officer confirmed the figure while RFA’s Uyghur Service was investigating unconfirmed reports that more than 200 people from a township in Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefecture’s Kuchar (Kuche) county had died in detention. The officer at the Kuchar County Police Department said that at least 150 had died at just one of the county’s four internment camps—the No. 1 Internment Camp in the Yengisher district of the county seat, about 10 kilometers (six miles) from Kuchar city center. “No, you cannot say that [200 died from Ucha township]” said the officer, who declined to be named, but previously served for six months as an administrative assistant at the camp in Yengisher. “Not that many—it’s more like 150 or so [from No. 1 Camp],” he said, adding that the deaths had occurred from June to December 2018, during the time he was assigned to the facility. He was unable to provide information about any deaths that might have occurred at the camp prior to the time he worked there or after he left. The officer’s claim represents the largest number of detention-related deaths at any one internment camp since RFA first reported the existence of the XUAR’s vast network of camps, where authorities have held up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas beginning in April 2017. His numbers also appear to corroborate those attributed to Himit Qari, the former police chief of Ucha township, who sources recently told RFA was detained after attending a gathering at a friend’s home earlier this year where he criticized policies that have led to mass incarcerations in the region. A source in Kuchar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFA that Qari was accused of “revealing state secrets” because he said during the party that “many people,” and possibly more than 200, had died in camps who were residents of Ucha, where he had been responsible for a crackdown on the Uyghur population prior to 2017 and enforcing mass internment policies in the years after. Qari did not provide details about the alleged deaths, and it was unclear over what time period and at which camps they had occurred. Strict monitoring According to the officer from the Kuchar County Police Department, who was transferred at the end of last year, the bodies of those who died at Camp No. 1 were shown to family members and buried in “normal graveyards,” albeit under strict police monitoring. “The local police would be in charge of these kinds of cases,” he said, adding that village officials would have issued “warnings” to family members to keep quiet about the deaths. “I did not observe any situation [in which family members expressed anger].” The officer said that the relatives of those who had died in the camps are “treated equally, with no discrimination,” although the children in their families are “given special attention” at school, without elaborating. When asked how many detainees from all of Kuchar county had died in camps, the officer said he was unsure and referred further questions to his superiors. Previous reporting by RFA revealed that Kuchar county is home to four large internment camps that can hold between 10,000 and 50,000 detainees, three of which are located in Yengisher district. According to census figures from 2013, some 470,000 people live in Kuchar county. Another police officer who previously worked at No. 1 Camp in Kuchar told RFA he could not confirm the 150 deaths, or whether anyone had died during an interrogation or as the result of failing to receive medical treatment. He also refused to comment on whether any of the dead included women or children. “I can’t tell you anything about this,” he said, referring inquiries to the public relations department of the local Public Security Bureau. A staff member of the Kuchar County Judiciary told RFA that he did not have the authority “to answer political questions of this magnitude,” when asked whether 150 people had died in No. 1 Camp, and whether the number included any government officials or other employees. “We have a county-wide directive—firstly, to never provide answers to pretend journalists, and secondly, to never take phone calls of unknown origin,” he said. Earlier reports While Beijing initially denied the existence of internment camps, China this year changed tack and began describing the facilities as “boarding schools” that provide vocational training for Uyghurs, discourage radicalization, and help protect the country from terrorism. Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. RFA has not previously reported on deaths at internment camps in Kuchar county, however, in August last year, a staffer at the Kuchar County Police Department said that the county’s camps held “more than 45,000 … [or] slightly less than 10 percent [of Kuchar’s population].” That report came two months after a Han Chinese staff member at a crematorium in Kuchar county told RFA that the Aksu government was investing in “burial management centers” in the prefecture and had earmarked funding to expand the size of the facility where he was employed. Among the ethnic minority corpses brought to his crematorium were those who had died in internment camps, he said at the time, adding that he and other staff members “have no right to get involved in these matters, and we have no knowledge of any details of the arrangements—only the officials know.” Mass incarcerations in the XUAR, as well as other policies seen to violate the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslims, have led to increasing calls by the international community to hold Beijing accountable for its actions in the region. In September, at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan said that the U.N. had failed to hold China to account over its policies in the XUAR and should demand unfettered access to the region to investigate reports of the mass incarceration and other rights abuses against Uyghurs. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/deaths-10292019181322.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/deaths-10292019181322.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

5 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Group of 13 North Koreans Cross Mekong into Thailand After Long Trek Through Four Countries

by Paul Eckert

Group of 13 North Koreans Cross Mekong into Thailand After Long Trek Through Four Countries Oct. 21, 2019 - A group of 13 North Koreans secretly crossed the Mekong River into Thailand from Laos at the weekend, ending a grueling two-month journey which spanned 6,000 kilometers (more than 3700 miles) and traversed four national borders in a quest for asylum in South Korea. Among the group that reached Thailand on Saturday were a two-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, while the rest ranged in age between their teens and 50s. Their journey took them first through China, where they had to hide out for more than a week to avoid surveillance. Through China, Vietnam and Laos, they used 13 means of transportation and crossed seven mountains in the darkness of night. Their fates were uncertain even as they were crossing the Mekong on a tiny boat in the pitch black darkness, because they had no clear idea who they were supposed to meet once they crossed. Once on the other side, they were met by officials from the South Korean human rights group Now Action Unity Human rights (NAUH), who had been searching for them. Eight of the 13 left North Korea with the intent to travel all the way to Thailand, while the remainder had first settled temporarily in China before joining the others, according the asylum seekers who hope to be eventually resettled in South Korea told RFA's Korean Service after they crossed into Thailand. A female member of the group, identified by the pseudonym Kim Jin-hye because she is concerned for her safety, told RFA’s Korean Service she left North Korea in July because she was being forced to join the military and had to give up her dream of becoming a doctor. “Should I say I am in distress [after this journey?]” Kim asked. “It’s only harder if you keep thinking about how hard it is. It wasn’t hard for me because I kept thinking this is the only way I can achieve my dream and [secure] my future,” she added. Incompetence and corruption Another woman in the group, in her fifties, identified by the pseudonym Lee Chun-hwa, said she decided to seek asylum because she hated the incompetence of North Korean authorities, who she said make strong crackdowns on minor infractions. She also disliked the rampant corruption in North Korean society and said it was her wish to travel to other countries as she pleased. She said that even North Korea’s rich are looking for ways to get out. “People think that the state just drains money from us. It would be nice if the state would let us be in charge of our own business,” said Lee. “So it means that the people are all saying ‘Let’s leave. We will be able to be in charge of our own affairs in South Korea, We can enjoy freedom. Let’s go look for our freedom there.’ Many of the rich people want to come because [the authorities] are giving them a hard time,” Lee said. After the NGO picked up the group, they spent one night in Thailand. They then boarded three-wheel tuk-tuk motorbikes to turn themselves in at the local police station. One of the them held a cell phone with the English phrase “I want go [sic] to South Korea.” written phonetically in Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Another female member of the group, identified as Lee Jung-sim, is the mother of the 2-year-old. Her 12-year old niece, small enough to pass for a much younger child, was also a part of the group. Lee’s mother had escaped into South Korea 13 years ago. “Now that I’m here, I break into tears just thinking of seeing my mother. It’s been 13 years. I have tears just thinking about meeting her for the first time in 13 years,” Lee said. Before leaving for the police station, a 20-year-old member of the group identified as Park Soo-young vowed that the group would make something of their lives in South Korea. “I’m so happy that you all helped us when we arrived and after all we’ve been through. Thank you to all who helped us,” said Park. “Because of you, we were able to make it here safely to prepare for our trip to South Korea. We will live our best lives in South Korea. We’re not afraid. I know we’re on the right path,” she said. 'Tearful goodbyes' Ji Seong-ho, founder of NAUH, who himself escaped North Korea in 2006, led the effort to rescue the 13. He told RFA that many people that attempt to leave North Korea are arrested in China, as Beijing intensifies crackdowns on those who try to flee. He noted that the number of North Koreans fleeing to Thailand has declined in recent years, but that many still make the journey hoping to escape to freedom. Ji said the latest rescue was nerve-racking and moving. “Everything’s done. We were all so nervous and we were deeply moved — to tears,” said Ji, adding, “There were also tearful goodbyes. But this is like a gateway to South Korea, a free country.” Thailand is a popular destination for North Korean asylum seekers who usually request that they be given permanent resettlement in South Korea. Based on previous cases, the 13 defectors are likely to be incarcerated for illegally entering Thailand as they wait to be granted asylum. They will undergo background checks and questioning by Thai and South Korean authorities, a process expected to last two months. It was not immediately clear how the group were able to contact the NGO and arrange a spot to meet after crossing the Mekong, but usually NGOs are contacted by asylum seekers in China to get assistance in finding brokers that can help them reach Thailand. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification more than 33,000 North Koreans have entered South Korea to date, including 546 as of June this year. Thai authorities were not immediately available for comment. Reported by Jungmin Noh for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-defectors-20191021-10212019182657… | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-defectors-20191021-10212019182657… ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

5 years, 7 months

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RFA Statement on Former Burmese Child Soldier's Release

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 6, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Statement on the Release of Former Burmese Child Soldier WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) Executive Editor Bay Fang issued the following statement about the release of former Burmese child soldier Aung Ko Htway, who was arrested, charged, and sentenced to prison in 2017 for comments made to RFA about his past experiences. Aung Ko Htway was released from a Yangon prison Friday morning after serving out a sentence of two years and six months for "incitement." "Radio Free Asia welcomes the news of Aung Ko Htway's release, but also wishes to point out that in a country where basic freedoms are protected, authorities would not have been able to charge him in the first place," Fang said. "Legal protections for both journalists and sources are necessary to enable press freedom and the survival of independent media." # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 9 months

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RFA Breaking News: Skeptical Scholar Says Visit to Xinjiang Internment Camps Confirms Western Media Reports

by Paul Eckert

RFA Breaking News: Skeptical Scholar Says Visit to Xinjiang Internment Camps Confirms Western Media Reports Aug. 29, 2019 - An Albanian scholar and commentator who traveled to China at Beijing’s invitation this month to disprove what he believed was biased Western media coverage of mass incarcerations of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) said his experience there confirmed the reports as true. Olsi Jazexhi, a university lecturer with a PhD in nationalism studies, was selected by China to participate in a conference for journalists in the XUAR from Aug. 16-24, during which he toured several internment camps, where authorities are believed to have held more than 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” since April 2017. “I had positive views regarding China and China’s foreign policy, and sometimes I think that China is treated unfairly by the West,” he told RFA’s Uyghur Service in a recent interview, adding that “this is probably one of the reasons I was selected to participate in this conference.” “Reports that China was building internment camps and persecuting the Uyghurs seemed unbelievable … I was very eager to go to Xinjiang because I wanted to explore for myself what is going on there. But after visiting, I found that much of what we hear in the West about China is not actually ‘fake news.’” Jazexhi said that after arriving, he was given tours of the XUAR capital Urumqi, as well as the regional cities of Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) and Kashgar (Kashi), during which he and other visitors were told by handlers that the region historically belonged to China, while Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslims who live there are the descendants of “invaders,” whose culture is subordinate to that of Han Chinese. “This official narrative was very shocking to us, and we could see it put into practice when we visited the mass detention centers … that our Chinese friends call vocational training institutes, but which we saw to be a kind of hell,” he said. While Beijing initially denied the existence of the camps, China this year changed tack and began describing the facilities as “boarding schools” that provide vocational training for Uyghurs, discourage radicalization, and help protect the country from terrorism. But reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media outlets suggest that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. Jazexhi said his group’s handlers rejected Western estimates of the number of detentions as “exaggerations,” and told him that “only 500,000 Uyghurs” are currently held in a total of 68 camps, several of which they were later brought to see on highly orchestrated visits. At the Onsu (Wensu) County Vocational Training School in Aksu prefecture—the first camp the group visited—Jazexhi said he was “expecting to see suicide bombers, terrorists, killers, murderers, and what have you, but … we found out [the inmates] were innocent people.” “The only crime they had committed was that they were Muslim and Uyghur,” he said. The government-organized tours at the camp in Aksu and elsewhere had been arranged ahead of time, according to Jazexhi, and select groups of young Uyghur men and women were brought out to perform music and dances for him and other contributors to the media from India, Turkey, Afghanistan, and other countries. “We understood it was a setup and told our Chinese friends that we hadn’t come for a party … We wanted to investigate what was going on—who were these people, what crimes had they committed, and why were they being held there,” he said of the visit to the Aksu internment camp. “I left the dance party and went out to inspect the conditions in the detention center, and tried to interview some kids doing other things there, but our Chinese friends got very upset with me and made excuses about why I couldn’t speak with them.” ‘Paranoid’ handlers Later, Jazexhi and others were brought to see detainees “study,” and he asked their instructor why they were being held there against their will. “[The instructor] was telling me that it was a vocational school, but when I asked whether they were free to go home, he said, ‘no, they cannot leave,’” he said. “In a way, it proved to us these are prisons where these kids are brought against their will.” When Jazexhi addressed the Uyghurs at the camp with the traditional Muslim greeting of “as-salamu alaykum,” or “peace be upon you,” he said they responded with the Mandarin Chinese greeting of “ni hao,” and said they did not identify as Muslims or believe in Allah because they “believe in science and the [ruling Chinese] Communist Party.” “What we understood from visiting these mass detention centers is that [the detainees] are totally prohibited from speaking Uyghur and are forced to speak Chinese all the time, as well as to renounce their religion,” he said. “I began to understand that China built these centers to Sinicize the Uyghurs. If they want to get out of the internment camps, the condition is that they must renounce their Uyghur identity, God, their belief in Islam, their Uyghur language, and instead always speak in Mandarin Chinese and acknowledge the supremacy of the communist party.” Jazexhi said his handlers explained that authorities also hope to assimilate Uyghurs by bringing Han Chinese workers and settlers to the XUAR, introducing economic incentives that mix Uyghurs and Han Chinese communities together, and indoctrinating Uyghurs with Han Chinese culture and respect for the government through mass incarceration, adding that they regretted not implementing these policies during the 1970s. He called them “paranoid,” and said they would not permit members of the group to interview anyone—even people they passed in the streets—while members of the Uyghur community “were afraid to talk to us.” “They told us that they knew we had seen things that we didn’t like on our visit, but that they didn’t want us to report anything bad about them,” Jazexhi said. “I went to China with the good intention of countering the narrative we hear from the West, but what I saw was really horrific … What we learned from our visit is that the government of Xinjiang was implementing selective policies to punish Uyghur Muslims.” Orchestrated tours In a recent interview with ABC News, Adrian Zenz, an independent researcher who studies China's minority policies and first put forth the now widely accepted estimate of 1.5 million Uyghurs and Muslim minorities believed to have been held in the camps, suggested that tours to the facilities are staged prior to media arrival. “My research has shown that these camps are being modified prior to the visits,” Zenz told ABC, which was recently granted rare on-camera tours of a center in Kashgar prefecture’s Yengisheher (Shule) county and another in Atush (Atushi) city, in Kizilsu Kirghiz (Kezileisu Keerkezi) Autonomous Prefecture. “Satellite images before and after show that several months before visits are permitted, watchtowers and other security features such as metal fencing were removed from these camps,” he said. At the end of its government-guided tour, ABC News said it asked Chinese officials to see other centers in the XUAR, specifically ones that satellite images showed had barbed wire fences and watchtowers, but its requests were denied. Mass incarcerations in the XUAR, as well as other policies seen to violate the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslims, have led to increasing calls by the international community to hold Beijing accountable for its actions in the region. Last month, at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the internment camps in the XUAR “one of the worst human rights crises of our time” and “truly the stain of the century.” U.S. Vice President Mike Pence also slammed the camps “where [Uyghurs] endure around-the-clock brainwashing” and survivors have described their experience as “a deliberate attempt by Beijing to strangle Uyghur culture and stamp out the Muslim faith.” U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback recently told RFA in an interview that countries around the world must speak out on the Uyghur camps, or risk emboldening China and other authoritarian regimes. The U.S. Congress has also joined in efforts to halt the incarcerations, debating legislation that seeks accountability for China’s harsh crackdown on the Uyghurs. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act would appoint a special State Department coordinator on Xinjiang and require regular reports on the camps, the surveillance network, and the security threats posed by the crackdown. Reported by Alim Seytoff for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/scholar-08292019164346.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/scholar-08292019164346.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media ( [ https://www.usagm.gov/home/ | USAGM ] ) . If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] .

5 years, 9 months

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Statement on the Charges Against Former RFA Journalists in Cambodia

by Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 8, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Statement on the Charges Against Former RFA Journalists in Cambodia WASHINGTON - The circumstances under which Radio Free Asia closed its office in Cambodia have become a topic of scrutiny in the ongoing trial at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court of former RFA journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin. With the trial due to resume on Friday, RFA would like to reiterate that it considers the charges brought against Chhin and Sothearin to be unsubstantiated and issue the following statement: "Government pressure and threats led to an abrupt closure of Radio Free Asia's Phnom Penh bureau on Sept. 12, 2017, in a serious setback to freedom of the press in Cambodia. The situation RFA faced that week was sudden and panicked. We had to wind up in a few days a news operation that had been running for nearly 20 years. Dozens of local journalists and staff lost their jobs. In the midst of this, RFA had to maintain its daily news report that continued to be broadcast from our headquarters in Washington, D.C. "Without any due process, the government was declaring journalism by RFA in Cambodia to be illegal. We maintain that in a democratic society, reporting the news should not be a crime. Contracts with our local staff were actually valid until Sept. 30, and RFA has records of just one published story that was filed by Chhin or Sothearin in the week the bureau closed. That was on Sept. 15, three days after the closure. On the very same day that story was published, the government said that RFA was still entitled to cover a news conference it held in Phnom Penh. "So not only did the government declare journalism by RFA to be illegal, it sowed confusion in its own public statements on the matter. This has culminated in the unjust prosecution of two of Cambodia's most dedicated, independent journalists for simply doing their job to provide reliable information to the Cambodian public." ### To view this statement on Radio Free Asia's website, click here <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/charges-former-rfa-journalists-080820191 51515.html> . Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

5 years, 10 months

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BREAKING NEWS: China Detains 60 North Korean Refugees, Sends Some Back

by Richard Finney

China Detains 60 North Korean Defectors, Sends Some Back Aug. 7, 2019 -- China has detained about 60 North Korean defectors and begun repatriating them back to North Korea where they could face punishment, including execution, according to South Korean sources. The defectors fleeing the brutal rule of Kim Jong Un have been held in detention facilities in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning bordering North Korea, according to a South Korean missionary, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. "I believe the repatriation of North Korean defectors held in detention facilities in Liaoning province has begun recently,” the missionary told RFA’s Korean Service, adding that the 60 North Koreans were arrested in various parts of China and imprisoned in Liaoning as of last month. The missionary, who has been involved in helping defectors for the last two decades, as well as other activist and human rights groups believe defector arrests have spiked this year following appeals by the Kim Jong Un regime to Beijing to thwart those fleeing North Korea, especially military personnel or dignitaries. The number of arrests of North Koreans fleeing to South Korea via China has increased significantly this year, according to human rights activists and other groups involved in efforts to help those leaving the hardline communist state in search of a better life. China, Pyongyang's oldest benefactor, considers North Korean defectors as illegal economic migrants rather than refugees or asylum seekers and forcibly returns many of them to North Korea, which runs an illicit nuclear weapons program. North Koreans who escape the isolated state typically face harsh punishments if they are sent back, including torture, sexual violence, hard labor, imprisonment in political or re-education camps, or even execution. Often their family members are also punished. Numbers larger than previously reported Young-ja Kim, Director General of the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), told RFA that he believes the number of North Korean defectors arrested in China so far this year was larger than that reported by the South Korean media. South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper last month quoted an activist who helps defectors as saying that at least 39 North Koreans had been detained in Liaoning. South Korea's Unification Ministry said 546 defectors arrived in the country in the first six months of this year, up from 487 in the same period last year, the report said. The spike in arrests could have stemmed from increasing North Korea-China cooperation following five summits between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the past 16 months, after years of no such high level meetings at all. The two countries had signed a mutual cooperation treaty in 1986 for the maintenance of security and social order along their border areas. “It is possible that the two sides have strengthened cooperation on the issue of North Korean defectors in China in the wake of the North Korea-China security diplomacy," said Kim In-tae, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy in Seoul. Aside from the increased cooperation, China's recent introduction of a facial recognition surveillance system is also hampering plans of North Korean defectors. “The recent situation in which surveillance equipment has been installed in many parts of China also makes it difficult for the movement of North Korean defectors," an official of a North Korea defectors’ group in South Korea, who asked not to be identified because of his safety, told RFA. "It feels like the Chinese authorities are tightening their surveillance and control over ordinary Chinese, and the situation seems to affect the arrest of North Korean defectors.” Reported by Yong Jae Mok for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/defectors-08072019211049.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 10 months

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BREAKING NEWS: Uyghur Man Held in Qatar Now En Route to US

by Richard Finney

Uyghur Man Held in Qatar Now En Route to US Aug. 6, 2019 -- A Uyghur man facing deportation to China from Qatar last week is now on his way to the United States, U.S. government sources say. Ablikim Yusup, 53, had appealed for days for help on social media posts from Qatar’s Doha International Airport, saying that he feared for his safety if sent back. Yusup had previously tried to enter Europe by way of Bosnia, a Muslim-majority country, but had been sent back to Qatar, which then said it would deport him to Beijing, according to media reports. “We can confirm that Mr. Ablikim Yusup is safely en route to the United States,” a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Tuesday. “The United States is alarmed by China’s highly repressive campaign against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims in Xinjiang,” the State Department said. “This campaign includes mass arbitrary detentions. The Chinese government has, by our estimates, detained more than one million individuals since April 2017.” “In these camps, there are credible reports of torture, inhumane conditions, and deaths. Individuals there are forced to renounce their ethnic identities, religious beliefs, or cultural and religious practices,” the State Department said. “We will continue to call on China to reverse its counterproductive policies that conflate terrorism with peaceful religious and political expression, to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained, and to cease efforts to coerce members of its Muslim minority groups residing abroad to return to China to face an uncertain fate,” the State Department said. Meanwhile, Germany-based World Uyghur Congress welcomed news of Yusup’s flight to the U.S., adding, “The international community must take steps to ensure Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims are provided protection.” Many held in camps Authorities in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have held up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas in internment camps since April 2017. While Beijing initially denied the existence of the camps, China this year changed tack and started describing the facilities as “boarding schools” that provide vocational training for Uyghurs, discourage radicalization, and help protect the country from terrorism. Claims by China this week that it has already released almost all of those held in the camps were met with skepticism by human rights and Uyghur exile groups, who said that China is seeking to blunt demands for accountability for its treatment of Muslim ethnic groups in the Xinjiang region. In July, Qatar joined several other Muslim states including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in publicly supporting China’s actions in Xinjiang, telling the U.N. in a joint letter that Beijing’s policies have countered terrorism in the region. Reported by RFA's Uyghur Service. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/route-08062019151423.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 10 months

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BREAKING NEWS: Large-Scale Demolition Begins at Sichuan's Yachen Gar

by Richard Finney

NOTE: Corrects sign-off to U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Large-Scale Demolition Begins at Sichuan’s Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist Center July 27, 2019 - Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province have begun a campaign of large-scale demolition at the Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist center, with Chinese work crews tearing down over a hundred dwellings of nuns evicted from the complex in recent weeks, Tibetan sources say. The destruction follows the forced removal beginning in May of over 7,000 residents of the sprawling center in Palyul (in Chinese, Baidu) county, which once housed around 10,000 monks and nuns devoted to scriptural study and meditation. Demolition of the nuns’ dwellings began on July 19 and moved ahead quickly, with at least 100 structures now torn down, a Tibetan living in the area told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Friday. “The heavy machinery rolled out at Yachen Gar includes excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks,” RFA’s source said, adding, “For now, it is only the nuns’ dwellings that are being targeted, but soon after this it will be the houses of the monks.” On July 20, dump trucks hauled the wreckage of the structures already destroyed to a vacant area called Nyithang Yultso and piled it there to be burned, the source said. “After each day’s work, the men and machines are now moved to rest for the night in a fenced enclosure on the outskirts of Yachen Gar close to a military camp,” he said. Senior monks and administrators at Yachen Gar have written over 40 petitions so far to Chinese authorities “at all levels,” appealing for a halt to the removals and destruction, but their requests have been rejected, the source said. “When they go to the relevant Chinese offices and departments to appeal, the Chinese officials reprimand them by pointing their fingers in their faces, and have even slapped them,” he said. “Those in charge at Yachen Gar have endured all of this silently in the hope that their petitions will be heard, but in vain.” Many of those expelled from Yachen Gar are now being held in detention and subjected to political re-education and beatings, sources told RFA in earlier reports. Chinese officials have meanwhile been stationed at the center to “maintain a tight watch” over those who remain and to check on all outside visitors, while travel to and from the center is strictly monitored and restricted, sources say. An unfolding strategy Restrictions on Yachen Gar and the better-known Larung Gar complex in Sichuan’s Serthar (Seda) county are part of “an unfolding political strategy” aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for Tibetan Buddhist study and practice, a Tibetan advocacy group said in a March 2017 report. “[Both centers] have drawn thousands of Chinese practitioners to study Buddhist ethics and receive spiritual teaching since their establishment, and have bridged Tibetan and Chinese communities,” the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said. During 2017 and 2018, at least 4,820 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks and nuns were removed from Larung Gar, with over 7,000 dwellings and other structures torn down beginning in 2001, according to sources in the region. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Tanslated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/demolition-07272019091153.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 10 months

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BREAKING NEWS: Large-Scale Demolition Begins at Sichuan's Yachen Gar

by Richard Finney

Large-Scale Demolition Begins at Sichuan’s Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist Center July 27, 2019- Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province have begun a campaign of large-scale demolition at the Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist center, with Chinese work crews tearing down over a hundred dwellings of nuns evicted from the complex in recent weeks, Tibetan sources say. The destruction follows the forced removal beginning in May of over 7,000 residents of the sprawling center in Palyul (in Chinese, Baidu) county, which once housed around 10,000 monks and nuns devoted to scriptural study and meditation. Demolition of the nuns’ dwellings began on July 19 and moved ahead quickly, with at least 100 structures now torn down, a Tibetan living in the area told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Friday. “The heavy machinery rolled out at Yachen Gar includes excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks,” RFA’s source said, adding, “For now, it is only the nuns’ dwellings that are being targeted, but soon after this it will be the houses of the monks.” On July 20, dump trucks hauled the wreckage of the structures already destroyed to a vacant area called Nyithang Yultso and piled it there to be burned, the source said. “After each day’s work, the men and machines are now moved to rest for the night in a fenced enclosure on the outskirts of Yachen Gar close to a military camp,” he said. Senior monks and administrators at Yachen Gar have written over 40 petitions so far to Chinese authorities “at all levels,” appealing for a halt to the removals and destruction, but their requests have been rejected, the source said. “When they go to the relevant Chinese offices and departments to appeal, the Chinese officials reprimand them by pointing their fingers in their faces, and have even slapped them,” he said. “Those in charge at Yachen Gar have endured all of this silently in the hope that their petitions will be heard, but in vain.” Many of those expelled from Yachen Gar are now being held in detention and subjected to political re-education and beatings, sources told RFA in earlier reports. Chinese officials have meanwhile been stationed at the center to “maintain a tight watch” over those who remain and to check on all outside visitors, while travel to and from the center is strictly monitored and restricted, sources say. An unfolding strategy Restrictions on Yachen Gar and the better-known Larung Gar complex in Sichuan’s Serthar (Seda) county are part of “an unfolding political strategy” aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for Tibetan Buddhist study and practice, a Tibetan advocacy group said in a March 2017 report. “[Both centers] have drawn thousands of Chinese practitioners to study Buddhist ethics and receive spiritual teaching since their establishment, and have bridged Tibetan and Chinese communities,” the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said. During 2017 and 2018, at least 4,820 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks and nuns were removed from Larung Gar, with over 7,000 dwellings and other structures torn down beginning in 2001, according to sources in the region. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Tanslated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/demolition-07272019091153.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 10 months

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BREAKING NEWS: Large-Scale Demolition Begins at Sichuan's Yachen Gar

by Richard Finney

Large-Scale Demolition Begins at Sichuan’s Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist Center July 29, 2019--Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province have begun a campaign of large-scale demolition at the Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist center, with Chinese work crews tearing down over a hundred dwellings of nuns evicted from the complex in recent weeks, Tibetan sources say. The destruction follows the forced removal beginning in May of over 7,000 residents of the sprawling center in Palyul (in Chinese, Baidu) county, which once housed around 10,000 monks and nuns devoted to scriptural study and meditation. Demolition of the nuns’ dwellings began on July 19 and moved ahead quickly, with at least 100 structures now torn down, a Tibetan living in the area told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Friday. “The heavy machinery rolled out at Yachen Gar includes excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks,” RFA’s source said, adding, “For now, it is only the nuns’ dwellings that are being targeted, but soon after this it will be the houses of the monks.” On July 20, dump trucks hauled the wreckage of the structures already destroyed to a vacant area called Nyithang Yultso and piled it there to be burned, the source said. “After each day’s work, the men and machines are now moved to rest for the night in a fenced enclosure on the outskirts of Yachen Gar close to a military camp,” he said. Senior monks and administrators at Yachen Gar have written over 40 petitions so far to Chinese authorities “at all levels,” appealing for a halt to the removals and destruction, but their requests have been rejected, the source said. “When they go to the relevant Chinese offices and departments to appeal, the Chinese officials reprimand them by pointing their fingers in their faces, and have even slapped them,” he said. “Those in charge at Yachen Gar have endured all of this silently in the hope that their petitions will be heard, but in vain.” Many of those expelled from Yachen Gar are now being held in detention and subjected to political re-education and beatings, sources told RFA in earlier reports. Chinese officials have meanwhile been stationed at the center to “maintain a tight watch” over those who remain and to check on all outside visitors, while travel to and from the center is strictly monitored and restricted, sources say. An unfolding strategy Restrictions on Yachen Gar and the better-known Larung Gar complex in Sichuan’s Serthar (Seda) county are part of “an unfolding political strategy” aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for Tibetan Buddhist study and practice, a Tibetan advocacy group said in a March 2017 report. “[Both centers] have drawn thousands of Chinese practitioners to study Buddhist ethics and receive spiritual teaching since their establishment, and have bridged Tibetan and Chinese communities,” the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said. During 2017 and 2018, at least 4,820 Tibetan and Han Chinese monks and nuns were removed from Larung Gar, with over 7,000 dwellings and other structures torn down beginning in 2001, according to sources in the region. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Tanslated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/demolition-07272019091153.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org .

5 years, 10 months

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RFA Breaking News: China’s Policy of Mass Detentions in Xinjiang ‘Has Nothing to do With Terrorism’: US Anti-Terror Czar

by Paul Eckert

China’s Policy of Mass Detentions in Xinjiang ‘Has Nothing to do With Terrorism’: US Anti-Terror Czar July 11, 2019 - The mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) “has nothing to do with terrorism,” and is part of a war Beijing is waging on religion, according to Washington’s counter-terrorism czar. In an interview with RFA’s Uyghur Service, Ambassador Nathan Sales, the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, dismissed China’s claims that its vast network of internment camps in the region—where authorities are believed to have held up to 1.5 million people since April 2017—is part of a vocational training program that is saving those influenced by religious extremism. “In addition to the people who are in custody and these forced labor camps there are millions more who are subjected to political re-indoctrination in daytime facilities,” he said. “The scope of this campaign is so vast and so untargeted that it simply has nothing to do with terrorism. Instead, what's going on is the Chinese Communist Party is waging war on religion. It is trying to stamp out the ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious identities of the people that it’s been targeting.” Sales also rejected statements from Beijing recently reiterated at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva by XUAR vice governor Erkin Tuniyaz that internment camps in the region had allowed detainees to “gain access to modern knowledge and enhance their employability.” “You don't need to send people who have jobs to vocational training centers,” he said. “Again, the scope of the detentions and the scope of the measures that have been applied to people outside the camps is simply so vast and overwhelming that it belies any claim that this is counter-terrorism or a targeted job training program. It’s repression, plain and simple.” Regardless, he added, counter-terrorism cannot be used as a pretext for advancing what he called “a domestic agenda political or religious or ethnic repression,” and said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” by the Chinese government’s “misuse” of the issue to achieve its goals in the XUAR. Sales stressed that the mass detentions and restrictions on religion in the region are only part of a larger attack by Beijing on an entire culture. Specifically, he highlighted reports of children of detainees being placed in state-run orphanages, where they are taught only Chinese, regularly have their names changed, and are “effectively being separated from the cultural and linguistic heritage … from which they come,” as an example of how authorities hope to force Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the XUAR to assimilate into Han Chinese culture. Holding China accountable While the U.S. Congress debates three pieces of legislation aimed at holding China accountable for its actions in the region, Sales vowed that Washington will continue to bring public pressure against Beijing to convey its view that “this is not counter-terrorism, but repression.” “Rest assured, this issue has the attention of the highest levels of our government, and we’re going to continue to focus on it,” he said. He also urged governments representing Muslim-majority nations to “speak out for members of their religion who are being targeted because of their religion” and to call on the Communist Party to “stop this war on faith.” And he advised Beijing that it is not too late to reverse its policies in the region, and honor the fundamental rights and freedoms of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities guaranteed by China’s constitution and regional ethnic autonomy laws. “Stop. Close the camps. Release the prisoners. Dismantle the surveillance state that keeps track of people outside the camps,” Sales said. “Return the children to their families so that they can be brought into the culture and religious traditions that they hold dear,” he added. “Every nation has the right and the responsibility to defend itself into defend its citizens from actual terrorism. That's not what's going on here. This is an ugly campaign of religious and ethnic repression.” Following the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in September 2001, the U.S. captured nearly two dozen Uyghurs in Afghanistan, sent them to its military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and accused them of ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban Muslim insurgency groups as part of a Uyghur group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). On Sept. 3, 2003, the U.S. placed ETIM on the Treasury Department’s list of terrorist organizations, but by the end of the year determined that the Guantanamo detainees were not security risks and eventually allowed all of them to be resettled to third countries, where they were not at risk of persecution by the Chinese government. In 2009, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government had failed to present sufficient evidence that ETIM was linked to either Al Qaeda or the Taliban, and while the group remains on the Treasury Department’s terror list, there is little to suggest that it has made significant inroads in China, nor that what limited amount of Uyghur radicalization exists in the country presents a significant security risk. Asked about current thinking on the ETIM designation, Sales declined to comment. “What I can tell you is that today the United States is deeply concerned about the misuse of counter-terrorism by the Communist Party of China to initiate and sustain a years-long campaign against the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities,” he said. Controversial visit RFA’s interview with Sales comes weeks after Vladimir Voronkov, the United Nations’ under-secretary general for counter-terrorism, traveled to the XUAR on an official visit, drawing condemnation from Washington, which said the trip risks lending credence to China’s claims that detentions in the region are related to a counter-terrorism issue, rather than a violation of human rights. The U.S.—which stopped attending the Human Rights Council last year after alleging that the forum is biased against Israel—recently called Tuniyaz’s appearance at the session “an embarrassment” to the U.N. for providing “a representative of one of the world’s worst human rights abusers a platform for propaganda.” Last month, after China’s ambassador to the U.N. invited its human rights czar Michelle Bachelet to visit the XUAR to “see for herself” what he called “education training centers” in the region, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told RFA that she would not accept unless given access to the camps on her own terms. If Bachelet accepts a trip to the XUAR, she would become the highest level U.N. official to visit the region. Reported by Mamatjan Juma for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/czar-07112019155502.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/czar-07112019155502.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

5 years, 11 months

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Radio Free Asia Recognized at New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Features Recognized at 2019 New York Festivals Radio Awards WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/> (RFA) received honors for two news features at last night's 2019 New York Festivals <https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/radio/> Radio Awards, an annual juried competition recognizing achievements in broadcast media. RFA's Mandarin Service won a Silver Medal in the News Features category for its <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhpxddL0HGm41Vyx7DhhR2wuRPTwJ_NoB> "Gray Rhino" series, a set of short videos focused on China's financial sector and its risks for ordinary citizens. RFA's Korean Service's "North Korean Refugees in Canada <https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/news_indepth/newsindepth-042020181136 50.html> " was a finalist in the same category. "These Radio Free Asia features both take a hard look at important phenomena and human experiences otherwise ignored in Chinese and North Korean media," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "RFA Mandarin's Gray Rhino video series brings awareness to our audiences in China of the under-reported risks and landmines in the Chinese economy at a time when state-controlled media is pushing out misleading information. Chinese citizens themselves are experiencing first-hand the impact of economic insecurity, unemployment, corporate closures, and empty new housing stock. "RFA Korean continues to share the powerful stories and sacrifices of those who faced enormous risks and danger to flee North Korea's repressive conditions to make new lives for themselves elsewhere. "RFA welcomes this great recognition at the New York Festivals Radio Awards for these features from our Korean and Mandarin Services." Released in February 2019, when many Chinese households were beginning to feel the negative effects of China's economic instability, RFA Mandarin's "Gray Rhino" series took an in-depth look at major issues plaguing China's financial system, such as bad debt in the financial and government sectors, and the Chinese real estate bubble. With the series, the Mandarin Service's digital team provided clear, easy-to-understand analyses of complex issues that are not only neglected in Chinese domestic media, but also often left difficult to understand. As of June 2019, the series had about 375,000 views on YouTube. The Korean Service's "North Korean Refugees in Canada" series was made up of three special reports, each of which highlighted different aspects of North Korean defectors' experiences seeking refugee status in Canada. The series discussed the denial of refugee status to the North Korean defectors, gave practical advice for refugees from experts, and showed how North Korean refugees have adapted to life and changes in Canada. Other winners <https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/worldsbestradio/2019/> at this year's New York Festivals Radio Awards included CBS, the BBC, Al Jazeera, NPR, and Vox. Documentaries from RFA's Khmer and Mandarin Services also received <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/new-york-festival-2019-04102019121036. html?searchterm:utf8:ustring=%20new%20york%20festivals> honors at the 2019 New York Festivals TV and Film Awards <https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/main.php?p=2,38> earlier this year. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 11 months

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Radio Free Asia Wins Murrow Award for '709' Crackdown Video

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Wins Murrow Award for '709' Crackdown Video WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/arrest-06102019112135.htmlhttps:/w ww.rfa.org/english/news/china/arrest-06102019112135.html> (RFA) today was among the National Murrow Award winners named by the Radio <https://rtdna.org/content/edward_r_murrow_awards> & TV Digital News Association (RTDNA). RFA Mandarin's video "The Women Against the State <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sUTBmOY7jU&feature=youtu.be> ," earned the distinction in the juried contest's category of Excellence in Video. The video focuses on the aftermath of China's <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-lawyers-08302016152248.html? searchterm:utf8:ustring=%20709> "709" Crackdown - a nationwide roundup of lawyers and legal activists that began in July 2015 - and the wives of those still held in custody today. "This piece, produced by Radio Free Asia's Mandarin Service, focuses on an important and ongoing issue in China and holds authorities accountable," said RFA President Libby Liu. "It gives a voice to the women who face severe intimidation tactics from their own government and whose stories are otherwise ignored by Chinese state media. "RFA Mandarin's digital team deserves full credit for this prestigious award. Their hard work to spotlight these brave individuals and share their stories speaks to Radio Free Asia's critical journalistic mission." Beginning on July 9, 2015, the "709" Crackdown aimed to repress and intimidate lawyers and activists committed to legal reform and rights defense in China. RFA's winning entry - which originally aired in July 2018 - explains the tactics that officials used in their crackdown, such as television broadcasts of forced confessions and refusing to meet with lawyers appointed by family members. The video also goes into the details of the difficulties and hardships that the women experience in their attempts to free their husbands. The Mandarin Service's digital team interviewed Li Wenzu, wife of lawyer Wang Quanzhang, one of the more prominent individuals detained. RFA has reported on Wang's case since he was arrested in July of 2015. While many of those detained under the "709" Crackdown have been reunited with their families, his whereabouts remain unknown to this day. This marks the first time that RFA has won a National Murrow Award, having previously won at least seven Regional Murrow Awards in years past. The Mandarin Service video was produced by Cherry Cheng, Zhang Li, and Alex Zhang of the service's digital team, which in late 2017 began to create short, social media-friendly videos that showcase in-depth journalism and solid data-based information. Topics addressed in their videos describe life in China, covering the social credit system, surveillance, socio-economics and unemployment, media and technology, civil society and the rule of law, and religion. The Mandarin Service's YouTube channel <https://www.youtube.com/user/RFACHINESE> recently surpassed 100,000 subscribers, notable given the challenge of reporting domestic news to a closed market. The award will be presented at RTDNA's ceremony in New York City on Oct. 14. Previous winners of the National Murrow Award include ABC News, The New York Times, CBS News Radio, The Washington Post, CNN, and NPR. # # # Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

5 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Rights Czar Visit to China Contingent on 'Full Access' to Xinjiang Internment Camps: UN

by Richard Finney

cid:1915c8e0862855975f4b9d7894416fbbd4c5b76a@zimbra Rights Czar Visit to China Contingent on 'Full Access' to Xinjiang Internment Camps: UN June 14, 2019 - The United Nations is demanding unfettered access to internment camps in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) after Beijing's envoy invited U.N. human rights chief Michele Bachelet to "see for herself" what he called "education training centers" in the region. In an emailed statement on Friday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) confirmed to RFA's Uyghur Service that Bachelet had received an invitation to visit the XUAR, but suggested she would not accept unless given access to the camps on her own terms. "The High Commissioner has been invited to visit China and we are continuing to discuss with the Government for full access," said OHCHR spokesperson Marta Hurtado. "We can also confirm that she met with China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva this week." On Thursday, Chen Xu, China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told reporters that he hoped to find "a time which is convenient to both sides" for Bachelet to visit the XUAR, where up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring "strong religious views" and "politically incorrect" ideas have been held in a vast network of internment camps since April 2017. He denied reports of mass incarcerations in the region, saying that "what is happening in Xinjiang is education training centers to help young people, especially young people, to get skills, to be well-equipped for their reintegration into society," according to a report by Reuters news agency, adding that Bachelet should "see for herself . [that] there are no so-called re-education camps." If Bachelet accepts a trip to the XUAR, she would become the highest level U.N. official to visit the region. Bachelet, the former president of Chile who succeeded Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein of Jordan as the U.N.'s human rights czar in August last year, has repeatedly urged China to allow the United Nations to investigate reports of mass detentions of Muslims in the XUAR. In January, China's foreign ministry welcomed U.N. officials to visit the region, provided they "abide by Chinese law and comply with relevant procedures," and "avoid interfering in domestic matters or undermining [China's] sovereignty." Al-Hussein had previously warned that a government-controlled tour of the XUAR would offer little insight into the true conditions at the camps, particularly if U.N. officials are refused permission to interview detainees. Thursday's invitation comes as Vladimir Voronkov, the U.N.'s under-secretary general for counter-terrorism, is traveling in China on a week-long official visit. Reports suggest that Voronkov plans to visit the XUAR, but a spokesperson for the U.N. would not confirm the details of his itinerary, and a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson refused to comment on the claims. Voronkov's potential trip to XUAR has drawn criticism from international rights groups who say that sending him risks lending credence to China's claims that detentions in the region are related to a counterterrorism issue, rather than a violation of human rights, and that his trip could be used as propaganda by Beijing to undermine a possible visit by Bachelet. 'Insincere at best' Rights groups greeted news of Chen Xu's invitation to Bachelet with skepticism. In a post to Twitter on Thursday, New York-based Human Rights Watch's China director Sophie Richardson suggested that Chen Xu's invitation was part of a bid by China to counter criticism of its rights record in the XUAR in the lead up to the 41st session of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council, planned for June 24 to July 12. "Gosh, what a coincidence-to repeat this hollow offer just ahead of #UN #HRC41," she wrote. Dolkun Isa, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, called the invitation "insincere at best," adding that if Beijing had nothing to hide in the XUAR, it "would have invited [Bachelet] to visit a long time ago." He echoed Richardson's claim that China's invitation is an attempt to deflect international scrutiny of its camps in the XUAR ahead of the Human Rights Council session next week. "China understands that human rights watchdogs and many governments will criticize its Uyghur concentration camps and urge it to close them down," Isa told RFA. "Therefore, this invitation is a preemptive measure to blunt any U.N. and state criticism of China's crimes against humanity in East Turkestan," he said, using a name preferred by many Uyghurs to refer to their historic homeland. Isa also warned that China's government would try to place "preconditions" on any visit by Bachelet in such a way to "only allow her to visit Potemkin camps on guided tours," and that if she accepts, Beijing will use the trip to claim that the U.N. endorses its policies in the XUAR. "A visit is worth it only if China unconditionally allows an independent U.N. fact-finding mission to visit East Turkestan with unfettered access to all camps, all detainees, and to speak with any detainees and officials they want," he said. "Otherwise, this visit will only be used by China to deceive the international community and to justify its crimes against humanity in East Turkestan committed upon the Uyghur people." Recent visits China recently organized two visits to monitor internment camps in the XUAR-one for a small group of foreign journalists, and another for diplomats from non-Western countries, including Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Thailand-during which officials dismissed claims about mistreatment and poor conditions in the facilities as "slanderous lies." Reporting by RFA's Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. In May, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in an apparent reference to the policies of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, cited "massive human rights violations in Xinjiang where over a million people are being held in a humanitarian crisis that is the scale of what took place in the 1930s." Last week, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback told RFA's Uyghur Service in an interview that countries around the world must speak out on the Uyghur camps, or risk emboldening China and other authoritarian regimes. "The Muslim countries should do that. The Western world, the entire world, should do this and condemn these sort of internment camps, of over a million people interned in the year 2019, and they are interned primarily because of their faith and the practice of their faith," he said. The U.S. Congress has also joined in efforts to halt the incarcerations, debating legislation that seeks accountability for China's harsh crackdown on the Uyghurs. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act would appoint a special State Department coordinator on Xinjiang and require regular reports on the camps, the surveillance network and the security threats posed by the crackdown. Reported and translated by Alim Seytoff for RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/access-06142019124359.html> https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/access-06142019124359.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . Richard Finney Editorial Radio Free Asia 2025 M.Street NW Ste. 300 Washington, DC 20036 Telephone - (202) 266-4006 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION This e-mail message is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. Any unauthorized dissemination, distribution, or copying is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error, please contact <mailto:network@rfa.org> network(a)rfa.org.

5 years, 12 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: 'Now is The Time For The World Community to Act'

by Paul Eckert

Interview: 'Now is The Time For The World Community to Act' June 6, 2019 - Sam Brownback is a lawyer, former United States Senator and former governor of the state of Kansas who has served as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom since February 2018. He spoke with RFA Uyghur Service Director Alim Seytoff on June 5, the Muslim Eid holiday, about U.S. policies in response to the persecution underway in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where authorities have held an estimated 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas in a network of political “re-education camps” since April 2017. RFA: More than one billion Muslims around the world are celebrating the Eid holiday with their families and friends. At the same time, more than one million Uyghurs are detained in China’s so-called political reeducation camps. The State Department last week called on China to release all the Uyghurs detained in the camps, but the Chinese government has not released them. What’s your message today to the Chinese government? Brownback: This is a terrible mistake that they’ve made. They shouldn’t have done it. Locking up this many people of faith simply because they’re Muslims and the Chinese are trying to control the Muslim population in their country. We continue to call upon them to release these individuals. And the world has taken note, the world will take note, and there will be actions that follow this consequence of what China is doing. If you think about it, we’re in 2019 and we’re talking about internment camps and reeducation camps and these sort of things that sound like they should belong in the 1940s and 1950s, not where the world is today. I think this is a terrible mistake that the Chinese have made and we call upon them to release all the Uyghurs and to allow them to peacefully and freely practice their faith. Particularly in this season, where Ramadan is just over and it’s a celebratory time, the Chinese really should do the right thing. And it also sends a message to the world: If China is willing to do this to their own Muslim population, what do they think of Muslims around the world that peacefully practice their faith? A country the size of China—the biggest population in the world, the second biggest economy—they need to be far more interested in what they’re projecting to the world and what they think of people of faith. Particularly the Muslim faith, but they’re doing this to Christians, they’re doing this to Buddhists, they’re doing this to Falun Gong, across the board. RFA: On this very special day, Uyghurs, especially Uyghurs in exile, cannot be with their family and friends. Most of them do not even know whether their family and friends are alive or in detention camps. They cannot call their parents to say ‘Eid Mubarak.’ They’re living in a very difficult situation. A lot of them are very distraught and they cannot see hope. What’s your message to the Uyghur people – not just those in exile, but the Uyghur people who are inside the camps and those outside the camps who also live in what many scholars describe as a police state? Brownback: My message to them is to pray and have hope, not to give up hope. This situation is coming clearer in focus around the world. You’re seeing protesters now mount up in some Muslim countries. In Indonesia there were protesters. The Turkish government has spoken up. The United States government has spoken up strongly and with clarity. Not to give up on hope and continue to believe that right ultimately does win. We have seen situations in the world over history where initially it looks like the situation is hopeless. There’s a phrase in the bible about ‘God is not mocked.’ There is a clarity of truth that comes through in due season. It doesn’t mean there won’t be pain and difficulty, but God is not mocked. There will be truth. There will be righteous things in the future. Maintain that hope. RFA: The United States government is at the forefront in defending the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslims in the region after the Chinese government has arbitrarily detained anywhere from 800,000 to two million Uyghurs and others. Yet aside from Turkey, the rest of the Muslim majority countries are silent on this issue. Some even support and endorse the Chinese government’s repression of the Uyghurs. What’s your message to the Muslim majority countries? Brownback: My message is to them is that they really should examine the factual situation, what’s happening here, and stand up for the human rights of Uyghurs and everybody else when they are persecuted. I think some governments are concerned that ‘well, we don’t want people to criticize us so we won’t criticize somebody else.’ Is that the sort of standard that we ought to have? The United States we have places that people can criticize and be critical of what’s happened here. We’ve had recently two shootings at Jewish synagogues taking place. But we acknowledged that and we fight and we push back against that. That’s what I would call on these Muslim countries to do: Do the right thing and just stand up and have your voices be heard and stand for religious freedom for everybody. Stand for it in your country and stand for it in China as well, and don’t be afraid of China. So many countries…I’ve met with a number of them, and I’ll raise the issue of the Uyghurs and they are concerned about China using its economic power to bully them to be quiet. Is that how you address somebody that’s doing something wrong? Do you act in fear or you don’t act because of fear? That’s how you push back against somebody. You speak truth clearly, and they should do that. The Muslim countries should do that. The Western world, the entire world, should do this and condemn these sort of internment camps, of over a million people interned in the year 2019, and they are interned primarily because of their faith and the practice of their faith. This is wrong. RFA: Do you support sanctioning the Chinese officials who are responsible for the atrocities that are happening to the Uyghur people under the Global Magnitsky Act? Brownback: There are discussions taking place on that right now, and the United States doesn’t announce its position until it’s taken. That’s the status of where that is now, and I can’t announce a position one way or another what’s happening, but when the United States takes action, the world will know. RFA: What will happen to the Uyghur people if the international community, besides expressing its concerns, fails to take any meaningful action? Brownback: We’ve seen this in the past. When the international community doesn’t take actions to address issues, when they take an appeasement strategy, it just emboldens the people that act. What we will see taking place, if China is not confronted in Xinjiang, we’ll see these tactics used in other places by other authoritarian regimes. We’ll see these other high-tech surveillance systems put in place by authoritarian regimes with artificial intelligence (and) facial recognition systems. We’ll see oppression taking place. In some cases in Xinjiang, people aren’t locked up but you can’t act in the society. You can’t go to a mosque. You’ll get seen going in there, and if you get seen, you’ll get a low social credit score, then you can’t participate in the culture or the society and you get blocked out by these very high-tech systems. I think you’ll see these systems multiply if the world doesn’t confront China with what it’s doing now. That’s the history of this. If you don’t confront them, then it just expands. Now is the time for the world community to act. RFA: In your recent remarks, you stated that China is at war with religion and especially Islam, and the Uyghur people’s cultural, religious, ethnic identity is under severe assault. Do you think China will win its war on Islam against the Uyghur people? Brownback: No. Think how many regimes in the past have tried that and how successful have they been. You can put down a faith community for a while. But by the very nature of faith, you’re trying to put down the soul of man. It is a fight you cannot win and you will not win. Now for a while you can lock people up. Look at the Soviet Union. An officially atheistic county for 70 years, and they were trying to squash faith everywhere. Well, that regime no longer exists and the faith community is back. The Orthodox Church is back. I was in Romania recently, and the headquarters of the Orthodox Christian community is now in the old parliament building that was put forward by the communist regime during the period when Romania was under Soviet domination. It was a fake parliament, they weren’t really doing anything. It was just kind of a show, but now it’s the headquarters for the Orthodox Church. And you’re going: ‘Well, okay. Where’s communism now? Where is the Orthodox Church?’ The Orthodox Church has been around for over 2,000 years. Islam has been around for a long period of time, and it’s going to be around. This is a war that China will not win and regimes have tried and failed in the past and the Chinese will fail, too. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/brownback-intreview-06062019162449.… | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/brownback-intreview-06062019162449.… ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years

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RFA Breaking News: Kazakh and Uyghur Detainees of Xinjiang ‘Re-education Camps’ Must ‘Eat Pork or Face Punishment’

by Paul Eckert

Kazakh and Uyghur Detainees of Xinjiang ‘Re-education Camps’ Must ‘Eat Pork or Face Punishment’ May 23, 2019 - Kazakh and Uyghur held in political “re-education camps” in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) are being forced to consume pork, despite the dietary restrictions of their Muslim faith, in a bid by authorities to assimilate them into Chinese culture, according to three former detainees. Since April 2017, authorities in the XUAR have held an estimated 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas in the camps, which China claims are an effective tool to protect the country from terrorism and provide vocational training. Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. Gulzire Awulqanqizi, an ethnic Kazakh Muslim who was held at the Dongmehle Re-education Camp in Ili Kazakh (in Chinese, Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture’s Ghulja (Yining) city from July 2017 to October 2018, recently told RFA in an interview that detainees are told they must eat pork, or face punishment. Awulqanqizi said she and other detainees were initially given pork at a meal without their knowledge. “They simply said it was a ‘friendly feast,’ but we could tell there was pork, which we can’t stand to eat,” she said. Later, Awulqanqizi said, authorities at the camp would serve pork for dinner more regularly, but only after stressing the importance of creating “unity among nationalities” and getting along with members of the Han Chinese majority when detainees are released. Awulqanqizi told RFA that she vomited after eating pork the first time. But instead of helping her, camp officials told Awulqanqizi that her distaste for pork was all in her head and threatened to send her to a different camp if she continued to get sick from eating it. Awulqanqizi forced herself to eat pork whenever it was served until she left the camp last year. ‘Eat or face punishment’ A similar account was told to RFA by Omurbek Eli, a Muslim Kazakh national of mixed Uyghur and Kazakh heritage from the XUAR who was arrested by police in Turpan (Tulufan) prefecture in 2017 while visiting his parents and accused of “terrorist activities.” Eli was refused legal representation and held at a prison for more than seven months, before being released with the assistance of the Kazakh government, and sent to a re-education camp for nearly a month. During his time in the camp, Eli said, detainees were made to eat pork every Friday. “They would give us a kind of food made with rice, but it didn’t look like polo (Uyghur pilaf) or anything, and they would place thumb-sized pieces of pork on top of it,” he said. “The guards would even ask, ‘Isn’t the pork we gave you delicious?’ But they would also say, ‘You have to eat pork or you’ll face punishment.’” ‘No right to ask’ A Kazakh national named Gulbahar Jelilova told RFA that she also was regularly served pork while detained at a camp in the XUAR from May 2017 to August 2018, though guards never told her it was in the food. “It appeared once or twice a week in small pieces in our food, but if we separated out the meat when we ate, the guard monitoring us on camera would rush into our cell and yell, “Why are you wasting the food the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] has given you,” said Jelilova, a businesswoman who now lives in Istanbul, Turkey. There was one old lady who said she only wanted to eat buns and drink water, instead of the food with pork. She was punished for her refusal and deprived of food for a few days.” Jelilova said that in several cases, detainees who separated the pork out of their meals were placed in solitary confinement as punishment. “We had no right to ask what meat was in the food or say we didn’t want to eat it,” she said. Pork and alcohol In February, sources told RFA that Chinese authorities in the XUAR were delivering pork to Muslim households during the Lunar New Year holiday, and forcing some Muslims to drink alcohol, eat pork, and display emblems of traditional Chinese culture. Residents of Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture said officials had invited them to celebratory dinners marking the Lunar New Year at which pork was served, then threatening to send them to a "re-education" camp if they refused to take part. Photos sent to RFA also showed an official from Ili's Yining city visiting Muslim households and distributing raw pork, in the name of helping the less well-off on the eve of the Year of the Pig. Pork and alcohol are forbidden by Islam, and the celebration of Chinese festivals has roots in polytheistic folk religion, which includes Buddhist iconography. Muslims honoring such festivals risk committing the unforgivable sin of espousing more than one god. Reported by Shohret Hoshur and Gulchehra Hoja for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/pork-05232019154338.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/pork-05232019154338.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years

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RFA Breaking News: Branstad to Make First Visit to Tibet by U.S. China Ambassador Since 2013

by Paul Eckert

Branstad to Make First Visit to Tibet by U.S. China Ambassador Since 2013 May 19, 2019 - U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad will travel to Tibet from Sunday for official meetings and visits to religious and cultural heritage sites, in the first such trip by a U.S. envoy to China since 2013, the State Department said. Branstad will visit the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Qinghai Province, a historic region of Tibet known to Tibetans as Amdo, from May 19 to 25, a State Department spokesman told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “This visit is a chance for the Ambassador to engage with local leaders to raise longstanding concerns about restrictions on religious freedom and the preservation of Tibetan culture and language,” the spokesman said. “He will also learn first-hand about the region’s unique cultural, religious, and ecological significance,” said the spokesman. “The Ambassador welcomes this opportunity to visit the Tibet Autonomous Region, and encourages authorities to provide access to the region to all American citizens,” the spokesman added. Branstad’s visit is the first by a U.S. official to Tibet since the approval by U.S. lawmakers in December of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, which requires Washington by the end of this year to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing policies that restrict access for foreigners to Tibet. A report by the State Department in March said that China “systematically” impedes access to Tibet for U.S. diplomats and officials, journalists, and tourists, and when visits to the region are granted, they are “highly restricted. In 2018, the TAR was the only area of China for which the Chinese government required diplomats to request permission to visit, and Beijing denied five of the nine official requests for the U.S. diplomatic mission in China to visit the region, including one from Branstad, said the first annual report on U.S. access. China dismissed the report, which was mandated by the reciprocal access act, as being “full of bias” and harmful to bilateral relations. Gary Locke, President Barack Obama’s envoy to Beijing, was the last U.S. ambassador to visit Tibet, in June 2013. On Thursday the Dharamsala, India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) issued a report that said the human rights situation in Tibet took a sharp downward turn last year with tightened restrictions on travel by Tibetans and a new campaign against “organized crime” targeting Tibetan civil society and cultural practices. Calling 2018 a “pivotal year” for human rights in the TAR and other Tibetan areas of China, TCHRD said that new policies and regulations have led to “an increased restriction on human rights and lives of the Tibetan people.” A nationwide campaign against “crime” and “black and evil forces” introduced at the beginning of the year resulted in the detention, arrest, and torture of human rights and environmental activists and of ordinary Tibetans promoting the use of the Tibetan language, the rights group said in its report. “Peaceful dissent of any kind and degree was met with harsh penalties,” TCHRD said. In December, two young Tibetans set themselves ablaze in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county in Sichuan province in opposition to China’s rule, as well as political and religious repression in the TAR and other Tibetan areas. They raised to 157 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans since the wave of fiery protests against nearly 70 years of Chinese rule of their homeland began in 2009. China maintains that it peacefully liberated Tibet from feudal rule, and that Tibetans enjoy the economic development it has brought to the region. Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/usa-envoy-05192019132408.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

6 years

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RFA Breaking News: North Korea Begins Crackdown on Falun Gong

by Paul Eckert

North Korea Begins Crackdown on Falun Gong May 17, 2019 - Falun Gong, controversial spiritual movement with recent origins in China, is reportedly spreading in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang, even as North Korean and Chinese authorities have launched crackdowns to eliminate it, sources say. Founded in 1992 in China’s northeast, the Falun Gong spiritual movement gained increasing influence as the fastest growing religion in the PRC and overseas over the next seven years. In 1999 the Chinese government at the orders of then President Jiang Zemin began a harsh and sometimes deadly crackdown on the sect, dragging practitioners from their homes and sending them to detention centers. Outside of China, the movement was considered harmless and continued to flourish. It is often cited as an example of religious persecution in China, with practitioners and allied religious freedom advocates holding protests in major cities to bring attention to the situation faced by Falun Gong believers in the PRC. Sources within North Korea have said that authorities in Pyongyang have begun a crackdown on Falun Gong as the city has seen a sharp increase in the number of followers within its population. “The judicial authorities are struggling because the spread of Falun Gong among citizens of Pyongyang has surged beyond their expectations,” said a source from Pyongyang in an interview with RFA’s Korean Service on May 11. The source said that the authorities began their crackdown last month. “In early April, the police issued a proclamation ordering citizens to voluntarily report their status as believers in Falun Gong. They threatened to impose harsh punishments on those who don’t turn themselves in, but are found after the reporting period,” the source said. Government action against Falun Gong appears to have backfired according to the source, as the negative publicity for the religion seems to have made it more popular. “After the proclamation and subsequent crackdown, people are suddenly very interested in Falun Gong, which had already been spreading in [Pyongyang’s] underworld. Falun Gong is known here as a religious practice that combines meditation and physical exercises, so people are now approaching it with curiosity,” said the source. Trade officials introduce the practice While there is no official record of how Falun Gong entered North Korea, the source said it was introduced by trade officials in Pyongyang. “The headquarters of the central trade organizations are concentrated in Pyongyang. As North Korea-China trade relations have become more active recently, Falun Gong began spreading in Pyongyang through trade workers,” the source said. According to the source, during the first round of crackdowns, 100 Falun Gong followers were arrested in Pyongyang—a number that is a lot higher than they expected. “Many Falun Gong followers were arrested in other districts [of Pyongyang] and they will be sentenced to hard labor or correctional labor depending on the severity of their crimes,” added the source. The source said that the crackdown has increased tension in the police department because so many practitioners were caught in the early crackdown. “They can’t predict how many more Falun Gong followers they will arrest and since [the religion] is spreading among high-ranking government officials and their families, it is becoming more than a troubling issue for them,” the source said. Another source, also from Pyongyang likened the crackdown on Falun Gong to a war on the religion, and compared the situation to how North Korean authorities have persecuted followers of other religions in the past. “The Central Committee [of the Korean Workers’ Party] say that Christianity is like opium or drugs and have harshly punished [Christians]. Now that Falun Gong is here, people are watching closely to see how the authorities will respond,” the second source said. Rapid spread The second source believes that the religion has many features that North Koreans are quite curious about, leading to its rapid spread. “Faun Gong has spread [here] because everyone wants to get martial arts training and exercise, and they [like] the magical spiritual ability to control the human soul,” the second source said. While the rapid spread might be alarming to the regime, the second source believes that the religion will not be easy to quash. “Even the Chinese government did not win [their battle] against Falun Gong, and now it’s spreading in Pyongyang, the heart of a historic hereditary dictatorship,” said the second source. The second source also believes that Falun Gong is popular because the people live in oppression, and because followers of the religion make fantastic claims, giving them hope. “[It’s] like a rainfall during a drought because the citizens have no hope for the future. People in Pyongyang say absurd things like that Falun Gong followers will not die or dry out if they were hanged for 80 days. So many people believe this is true,” said the second source. The Pyongyang crackdown on Falun Gong is the first ever action by the government against the movement in North Korea. The 100 people arrested for following Falun Gong were caught only in Pyongyang's Songyo district, one of 18 districts in the city. North Korea’s constitution allows for freedom of religious beliefs, but true religious freedom does not exist within its borders and all churches and temples are state operated. The website of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) says that organized religion is perceived by the regime as a threat, and besides token churches and temples built to give the appearance of religious freedom, North Koreans must practice their religions in secret or risk a stint in a prison camp or worse, execution. The website notes that “thousands of Buddhists and Christians have been purged and persecuted throughout the history of North Korea.” A 2014 United Nations report cited North Korean government figures showing that the proportion of religious adherents among the population dropped from close to 24 percent in 1950 to 0.016 percent in 2002. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-falun-gong-05172019164536.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-falun-gong-05172019164536.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years

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RFA Breaking News: Vietnamese Human Rights Campaigner Leaves Thailand for Canada

by Paul Eckert

Vietnamese Human Rights Campaigner Leaves Thailand for Canada May 2, 2019 - Human rights activist Bach Hong Quyen left Thailand for Canada on Thursday, ending fears he could be extradited to Vietnam for his role in helping a dissident Vietnamese blogger apply for asylum in Bangkok before he was abducted by Vietnamese agents. Truong Duy Nhat, an RFA contributor, disappeared in Bangkok in late January, and two months later was revealed to be in a Hanoi jail, in what legal experts said was a violation by Vietnam's police of the country's criminal procedure laws. Quyen and his six-month-old son Joseph boarded an airplane leaving Bangkok at 10:40 p.m. local time, with arrival in Canada expected early on Friday, Do Ky Anh-a representative of the Voice Canada advocacy group-told RFA's Vietnamese Service on May 2. "Quyen left Thailand at night on May 2 and will arrive in Mississauga city of Canada at around 9:30 in the morning of May 3," Anh said. He added that Quyen had spent about a week in an immigration detention center in accordance with Thai regulations that immigrants be held in detention before leaving for a third country. Quyen had been approved for travel to Canada in a refugee program funded by the Canadian government, Voice Canada said in a press release, adding that Quyen's wife Bui Huong Giang and the couple's two daughters had already traveled to Canada under the same program on April 16. Anh said he had no information regarding Quyen's possible extradition to Vietnam for having helped Nhat before the blogger's abduction, but said "We did have concerns about that." "We heard that when Quyen was in the IDC [immigration detention center], a delegation from Vietnam visited the facility. I don't know why they were there, but we monitored Quyen's situation in the IDC very closely." Thai immigration authorities have denied any knowledge of efforts to deport Quyen, who fled to Thailand in May 2017 after Vietnamese police issued a warrant for his arrest for organizing a march on the anniversary of a 2016 waste spill that that polluted the coast of central Vietnam. The environmental disaster sparked major protests. In a May 2 press release, Voice-a California-based organization supporting human rights and civil society in Vietnam-and its branch Voice Canada thanked the United Nations refugee agency, the Thai government, Human Rights Watch, and other groups for their help to Quyen and his family. "After two years of efforts, and with the utmost help from individuals and organizations, we have succeeded in helping Quyen and his family reunite and settle down in Canada," the advocacy group said. Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/canada-05022019172237.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

6 years, 1 month

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Tactics to Threaten and Intimidate Journalists 'Unacceptable': RFA President

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Tactics to Threaten and Intimidate Journalists 'Unacceptable': RFA President WASHINGTON-As journalists and news groups around the world mark World Press Freedom Day, Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> 's President noted the serious challenges and threats the organization and its contributors face. Especially alarming have been the declining trends in all of RFA's broadcast countries, in which authorities have jailed contributors, re-instated charges against former reporters, and even detained relatives of RFA journalists. "Radio Free Asia's brave reporters often endure unimaginable threats and intimidation so we can get the truth to our audiences," said RFA President Libby Liu. "Regimes resort to every possible means to crush independent voices with impunity. The consequences have sadly been profound for RFA's journalists. "Among the dozens of bloggers and reporters imprisoned under Vietnam's restrictive media laws are RFA videographer Nguyen Van Hoa, and more recently, blogger Truong Duy Nhat who resurfaced in a Vietnamese prison three months after disappearing from Bangkok where he was seeking asylum. "China continues to hold dozens of relatives of six U.S.-based Uyghur journalists in retaliation for their work exposing the mass incarcerations in Xinjiang. In Cambodia, two former RFA reporters continue to face trumped-up charges for their past association with our organization, long after we were forced to leave the country. "These harsh tactics are unacceptable and will not deter RFA from bringing free press to closed societies. World Press Freedom Day is an important time to remember the struggles journalists face every day to shed light on events and developments that affect us all. In an era of widespread authoritarian rule and disinformation, RFA's mission proves as vital as ever." Reporters Without Borders (RSF)'s recent World Press Freedom Index <https://rsf.org/en/2019-world-press-freedom-index-cycle-fear> emphasized the news "black hole" developing in China and Vietnam where authoritarian rulers continue to consolidate their power. The global survey specifically highlighted China's efforts to export its censorship technology as one of the major threats to press freedom in the region as the country funnels funds and resources to authoritarian regimes. Disinformation is a growing concern in countries such as Myanmar where hate messages go unmoderated. North Korea ranked second to last, the first time it has moved from the bottom of RSF's index in three years. Radio Free Asia recently joined global news organizations and publishers in the recently launched One Free Press Coalition <https://www.onefreepresscoalition.com/> , an effort to call attention to journalists under attack around the world. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Vice President of Communications & External Relations <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

6 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking news: Uyghur Inmates in Iconic Xinjiang Detention Camp Photo Identified

by Paul Eckert

Uyghur Inmates in Iconic Xinjiang Detention Camp Photo Identified April 26, 2019 - Five Uyghur inmates in a widely published photograph of scores of men sitting in a political re-education camp in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have been identified by friends and acquaintances, who confirmed their names and occupations to RFA’s Uyghur Service. The photo was posted to the WeChat account of the Xinjiang Judicial Administration and shows Uyghur detainees listening to a 'de-radicalization' speech at a camp in Hotan (Hetian, in Chinese) prefecture's Lop county April 2017. The camp is located in the Beijing Industrial Zone in front of the cement factory and Number 1 Middle School in Lop County. One of the detainees was planning to build a bakery in the industrial zone where is now incarcerated. On April 19, the Facebook page of the U.S.-based World Uyghur Congress Vice President Perhat Muhammet revealed their names and professions, based on information provided by a man from Lop county and who is now living in exile. RFA conducted telephone interviews with the Lop county man and others who knew the inmates. The five men in the photo are among up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas and held in political “re-education camps” across the XUAR since April 2017. The five men are medical equipment entrepreneur Mamtimin, restaurant and bakery proprietor Aziz Haji Shangtang, religious teacher and jade merchant Eli Ahun Qarim, woodworker Abdulla Haret, and driver Abduleziz Haji. Mamtimin studied business management at the Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences and graduated in 2012. He attended a Chinese high school in China and was good at computers and web design. A former classmate of Mamatimin named Nurmement, who now lives in Turkey, said he last saw his classmate in Hotan in 2012. At the time, Mamtimin was establishing his own company to sell medical equipment. “Mamtimin was two years ahead of me in the university,” he said. Nurmement told RFA he is not sure why Mamtimin was sent to the camp, but described him as “an independent thinker and actor.” 'A man of faith and good character' According to a man from Lop county who is now living in exile, Aziz Haji is an entrepreneur whose house was located behind the big mosque in the Lop county bazaar. He used to run a restaurant on the banks of Yoronqash River. “He used to run a restaurant, so he was given the nick name, Shangtang. Later he opened a bakery shop. Business was very good, so he decided to expand it by building a bakery, which was completed when I was there,” said the man, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals against his family. “I think the reason he was arrested is that he performed a Haj pilgrimage (to Mecca in Saudi Arabia) in 2002, and they have arrested everyone who travelled abroad,” said the man. An acquaintance of Eli Ahun Qarim described the 50-something native of Lop county’s Igerchi village as a religious student with “a profound understanding of religion” who had earlier been detained for one year for teaching religion. “We did jade business together around 2007-8. Prior to that, he was learning religion in Hotan,” said the acquaintance told RFA. “He used to preach among us, just several of us. All of us were impressed with his religious understanding. He had a relatively good life. He was married and with a child. I think he was detained because of his religious knowledge,” the man added. Woodworker Abdulla Haret is around 45 years old and the father of three sons who had never left Hotan, according to his former neighbor. “He fixes doors and windows. He’s a very humble and credible person who is eager to do charitable works,” the neighbor said, adding that Haret was a caretaker at the local Shipang mosque. “The reason for his detention is probably because of his work at the mosque. He’s a man of faith and good character. He has never had any arguments or problems with other people,” the neighbor told RFA. Political indoctrination and rough treatment Abdulaziz was a 50-something driver at the Lop Labor Insurance Bureau before his detention. He had earlier been a driver for driver at the Lop County Radio-TV station, an official from the bureau said. Married with children, Abdulaziz was expelled from work and now attending “education." RFA made multiple phone calls to police to inquire about the men and their reasons for being detain in the camps, but most officers refused to discuss the cases. “I am unable to tell you anything, we were told not to accept interviews from outside. You can make your enquiries to the Public Security Bureau,” said one police officer. Though Beijing initially denied the existence of re-education camps, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the XUAR, told China’s official Xinhua news agency in October 2018 that the facilities are an effective tool to protect the country from terrorism and provide vocational training for Uyghurs. China recently organized two visits to monitor re-education camps in the XUAR—one for a small group of foreign journalists, and another for diplomats from non-Western countries, including Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Thailand—during which officials dismissed claims about mistreatment and poor conditions in the facilities as “slanderous lies.” Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, earlier this month said that some 1.5 million people are or have been detained in the camps—equivalent to just under 1 in 6 members of the adult Muslim population of the XUAR—after initially putting the number at 1.1 million. Michael Kozak, the head of the State Department's human rights and democracy bureau, in an apparent reference to the policies of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, last week said people "haven’t seen things like this since the 1930s" and called the internment of more than a million Uyghurs "one of the most serious human rights violations in the world today." In November 2018, Scott Busby, the deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, said there are "at least 800,000 and possibly up to a couple of million" Uyghurs and others detained at re-education camps in the XUAR without charges, citing U.S. intelligence assessments. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/camp-photo-04262019171258.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/camp-photo-04262019171258.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Laos Releases, Deports US Citizens Accused of Unauthorized Missionary Work

by Paul Eckert

Laos Releases, Deports US Citizens Accused of Unauthorized Missionary Work April 18, 2019 - Three U.S. citizens held in Laos since last week on suspicion of disseminating bibles and Christian material without government approval have been released and deported to neighboring Thailand on Thursday, their organization told RFA’s Lao Service. The volunteers for the Wyoming-based Vision Beyond Borders--identified only by their given names, Wayne, Autumn and Joseph--were picked up by police in a scenic corner of northern Laos’ Luang Namtha province on April 8, after handing out religious materials to villagers, a policeman and a witness told RFA. The three had their passports seized and were being kept in a guesthouse in the provincial capital of Luang Namtha, 60 kms (36 miles) from where they were arrested. “We have just received word that Wayne, Autumn, and Joseph, our volunteers who were detained in Laos from April 8, have been deported and crossed the border into Thailand a few minutes ago,” Eric Blievernicht, operations manager of Vision Beyond Borders, told RFA by e-mail. “Our prayers for their release and that they might be home for Easter are being answered,” he wrote. Details on their route out of Laos, their whereabouts in Thailand, and their arrangements for returning to the United States were not immediately available. Easter falls on Sunday, April 21. The detention of the three, who were able to move about the guesthouse and surrounding village, played out as Laos observed the traditional New Year holiday and government offices were closed, slowing down negotiations on their fate. Speaking to RFA on Tuesday, a police officer from Sing district said the three “didn’t get approval from the relevant departments. Their activity of disseminating religion was wrong.” “Usually this kind of activity must go through many steps to get approval. You can’t do whatever you want,” said the officer. The Casper, Wyoming-based Vision Beyond Borders says on its website that it has “carried over 1 million Bibles and 15,000 hand-wind tape players containing the Gospel into closed countries." "With donors' support, we have also provided for over 800 children (and) nearly 200 native pastors in Gospel-resistant nations," said the group. It also has administered humanitarian aid and medical care to refugees from Burma, Syria, and Iraq, and provides vegetable seed packets to poor villages. While the constitution of Communist-run Laos technically protects freedom of religion, conflicts between Christians and local authorities often flare up because authorities in the traditionally Buddhist nation consider Christianity a “foreign religion.” In December, seven Lao Christians were arrested for attending an ‘illegal’ church service. They were later allowed to return home. In a 2017 report, the U.S. State Department said that Lao local authorities often arrested or detained members of minority religions during the year, with a district-level official in Houaphan province expelling 26 Hmong Christians from their village, advising them they could return only if they renounced their faith. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/us-christians-04182019103827.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/us-christians-04182019103827.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Three U.S. Citizens Arrested in Laos for Spreading Christian Materials

by Paul Eckert

Three U.S. Citizens Arrested in Laos for Spreading Christian Materials April 12, 2019 - Lao authorities have arrested three U.S. citizens in Luang Namtha province’s Sing district for distributing bibles and other evangelistic materials, a Christian organization in the United States told RFA’s Lao Service on Friday. Identified by their organization only by their given names, Wayne, Autumn and Joseph are believed to have been detained in a guesthouse since Monday, after visiting villages in northern Laos to hand out the materials. “It appears that the interrogations have been going slowly. [Police] brought them into a room and said they would be back in 10 minutes, then they were gone for 4-5 hours,” said Eric Blievernicht, Operations Manager of Vision Beyond Borders in an interview with RFA. “Our concern now, if we don’t get them released soon in the next day or so, is that they will be held over the New Year,” he said, referring to the traditional New Year observed in Southeast Asia, which falls on April 13, with celebrations running for more days. Blievernicht said he was aware that the U.S. embassy in Laos has been notified and has gotten involved. He also said that only the three Americans were detained and no Laotians were. An official of the Luang Namtha police department confirmed that the three were arrested but denied they are being detained. “What we know about these three individuals is that they are not detained. Their passports have just been confiscated,” said the official. A Local Christian group is trying to help the three. “We just found out about this and we’re traveling to Luang Namtha province to help these three Americans,” said the leader of a church in Vientiane Capital, requesting anonymity. RFA contacted the U.S. Embassy in Laos but an official declined to comment on the matter. The State Department in Washington reiterated the official policy of not commenting on consular matters, out of concern for the privacy of the citizens. RFA also attempted to contact the press department of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but phone calls went unanswered. While the constitution of Communist-run Laos technically protects freedom of religion, conflicts between Christians and local authorities often flare up because authorities in the traditionally Buddhist nation consider Christianity a “foreign religion.” In December, seven Lao Christians were arrested for attending an ‘illegal’ church service. They were allowed to return home. In a 2017 report, the U.S. State Department said that Lao local authorities often arrested or detained members of minority religions during the year, with a district-level official in Houaphan province expelling 26 Hmong Christians from their village, advising them they could return only if they renounced their faith. Reported and translated by RFA’s Lao Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong. View this s tory online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/us-citizen-christians-laos-0412201917… | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/us-citizen-christians-laos-0412201917… ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: North Korea Stages Public Executions to Strengthen ‘Social Order’

by Paul Eckert

North Korea Stages Public Executions to Strengthen ‘Social Order’ April 10, 2019 - North Korean authorities staged a public trial and shot two female fortune tellers to death last month, forcing tens of thousands of people to watch, in what appeared to be a resumption of public executions. The executions of the two women took place in March in North Hamgyong’s Chongjin city, and were aimed at forcing officials to stop patronizing fortune tellers and engaging in other "superstitious" behavior, according to two sources who spoke to RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity. “Public trials and executions have resumed this year, with judicial authorities holding these trials in multiple locations for reasons of maintaining social order,” a source in North Hamgyong province, bordering China, told RFA’s Korean Service. The public executions “shocked” city residents, RFA’s source said. “They pronounced sentences of death and carried out public executions immediately,” the source said, adding that two of the three women put on trial were executed by shooting, with the third sentenced to life in prison. “Tens of thousands of people from factories, colleges, and housing units from Chongjin were forced to attend the public trail in March,” added the source. The three had created a group called Chilsungjo (Seven Star Group) to carry out what authorities described as “superstitious activities,” the source said. “They had used a three-year-old and five-year-old child to carry out their activities, claiming that the children were possessed by a spirit oracle and receiving money for telling fortunes,” he said. It is now common in North Korea for people to consult fortune tellers before planning weddings or making business deals, or considering other important decisions in their lives, the source said, adding, “Even high-ranking government officials and the families of judicial authorities often visit fortune tellers.” Making an example Also speaking to RFA, a second source in North Hamgyong said that government concerns over the involvement of high-ranking officials in “superstitious” activities has caused authorities to make an example of those caught telling fortunes. “The Central Committee has emphasized the elimination of anti-socialist behavior and the preservation of social order, but it is hard to find residents who will follow these orders,” the source said. “People fear that they will starve to death if they live by the law, so it is no exaggeration to say that illegal activities have now become common.” In February, authorities held an unusual open trial in Chongjin’s Pohang district for middle school students aged from 15 to 16 who had organized themselves into groups of two to three to carry out robberies at night, the source said. “They acted violently against residents and stole anything that they thought would earn them money. The atmosphere became uneasy in the area at night, and it was hard for a time to find people walking around after dark.” Because the accused were minors, they were spared harsh sentences, the source said. “But the adults tried in public are being sentenced to death, or at least receive life sentences, so the residents are living in fear,” he said. Numbers unclear Accurate statistics on North Korea’s use of the death penalty are hard to find. In February, RFA’s Korean Service reported that a Seoul-based North Korean defector-led NGO had detailed that the Kim Jong Un regime had purged 421 officials since 2010 to consolidate power around Kim. The report, “Executions and Purges of North Korean Elites: An Investigation into Genocide Based on High-Ranking Officials’ Testimonies," by the North Korean Strategy Center, collected accounts by 14 North Korean elite group defectors, six North Korean officials in China, and five other defectors who witnessed executions. The report notes the well-known case of Kim’s uncle Jang Song Thaek, a top official who was executed in 2013, and says that “more than 15 people were killed and 400 others were purged. At a U.N. Security Council session on North Korea's human rights situation in December 2017, then U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley was quoted by Reuters and other news agencies as saying that "defectors have reported that all North Koreans, ages 12 and older, are required to attend public executions—a graphic reminder of consequences of disobedience of the government.” she said. In a landmark report in 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea found that "as a matter of state policy, the authorities carry out executions, with or without trial, publicly or secretly, in response to political and other crimes that are often not among the most serious crimes." "The policy of regularly carrying out public executions serves to instill fear in the general population," said the report, based on extensive interviews with defectors from the North. The UN report said that while public executions "were most common in the 1990s," they continued up until the time of the landmark report's release in 2014, and that 2013 saw a "spike in the number of politically motivated public executions." Reported by Jieun Kim for RFA’s Korea Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/executions-04102019175353.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

6 years, 2 months

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Radio Free Asia documentaries recognized at New York Festivals TV & Film Awards

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2019 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia documentaries recognized at New York Festivals TV & Film Awards WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) received honors at last night's 2019 New York Festivals <https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/main.php?p=2,38> TV and Film Awards for two documentaries. RFA Khmer Service's documentary on Hun Sen's 1997 coup "Impunity or Justice <https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2051426121568237> " received a Bronze Medal in the Human Rights category while the Mandarin Service's "Women against the State <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sUTBmOY7jU&feature=youtu.be> " feature was a finalist in the Special Reports category of the annual competition. "These video documentaries re-examine key historical events in Cambodia and China," said Libby Liu, RFA President. "They are reminders of the power authoritarian governments in Asia continue to exercise over press freedom and rule of law. For millions living in these countries, Radio Free Asia is a lifeline to the truth - connecting audiences with the facts through quality, in-depth journalism. "We are so proud of our Khmer and Mandarin Services for earning this recognition for their excellent work." The Bronze award-winner "Impunity or Justice" (English version <https://youtu.be/O9XwZfT0tjM> ) follows Cambodia's Hun Sen as he launched a bloody coup against the sitting Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh in 1997. Hundreds were injured or killed, including forces loyal to the Prince. Now after more than two decades, some are still fighting to bring those responsible to justice. In "Women against the State" RFA's Mandarin Service highlights the lives of five women whose family members were arrested during China's countrywide "709" crackdown. Their family members, in addition to more than 300 lawyers were targeted for their attempts to defend human rights in China. Over the past three years, authorities have continued to harass and intimidate these women through threatening their family member's safety and well-being. This special report follows these women and their quest for justice for their family members. Other noteworthy winners <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/winners/2019/index.php> at the NY Festivals this year include CNN, ESPN, VICE News, and RFA-sister network VOA. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media.

6 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: China Confirms Xinjiang Detention of Australian Uyghur’s Wife, Mother

by Paul Eckert

China Confirms Xinjiang Detention of Australian Uyghur’s Wife, Mother April 5, 2019 - Chinese authorities have confirmed that the wife and mother of an Australian citizen of Uyghur ethnicity are being detained in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) after Canberra pressed Beijing on their whereabouts. In an email dated April 1, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) told Almas Nizamidin that the Chinese Embassy in Canberra had responded to its inquiry about his wife Gulzeynep Abdureshit (in Chinese, Buzainafu Abudourexiti) and mother Zulpiye Jalalidin (Zuyipiya Jiala), who were taken into custody in the XUAR in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Citing authorities in the XUAR, the embassy said that Abdureshit was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and two years deprivation of political rights on June 5, 2017 for the crime of “assembling a crowd to disturb social order,” while Jalalidin was arrested on Nov. 6, 2018 on the same charges and is currently under investigation, DFAT said. Abdureshit’s arrest came slightly more than a year after she and Nizamidin were married in the XUAR capital Urumqi, and DFAT said it had been informed that a medical examination conducted before she was detained “showed that she was not pregnant.” Abdureshit had been preparing documents to join her husband in Australia at the time of her arrest. “We understand that the information provided by the Chinese embassy may be particularly distressing for you and your family,” DFAT’s email said. “Chinese authorities advised that if you would like to get in touch with your wife, you could apply for a visit through local law enforcement agencies in line with Chinese law,” it added, though it advised travelers to the XUAR to “exercise a high degree of caution.” “The security situation in this region is volatile. Increased security measures are in place and individuals of Uyghur descent are particularly affected,” it warned. The information provided by the Chinese Embassy in Canberra confirmed what Nizamidin had learned about his wife after traveling to the XUAR to find out what had happened to her. “After my wife was arrested, I went to China and spent three months there,” he told RFA’s Uyghur Service earlier this week. Nizamidin had heard his wife was being held in the seat of the XUAR’s Aksu (Akesu) prefecture, and met with authorities there, seeking additional details. “I was told that she committed a crime, however they didn’t give me any information—instead they interrogated me about what I’d been doing during the 10 years I have been living abroad,” he said. “I tried so hard, but I was unable to obtain any official documents [from them] … I [later] obtained documentation on my wife’s sentencing, including the date of her sentencing, after paying a lot of money [in bribes] to relevant people.” He said that despite having six months remaining on his visa, authorities forced him to leave China soon after. Nizamidin provided the documents he obtained to London-based rights group Amnesty International, which issued a statement on Sept. 28, 2017 saying that Abdureshit’s arrest and subsequent sentencing was believed to be “part of a wider crackdown on Uyghur students who studied abroad,” noting she had spent two years in Egypt as a student before returning to the XUAR in 2015. “Held incommunicado, she is at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment,” Amnesty said at the time. “Amnesty International published a report stating that my wife was innocent, the Chinese authorities must be held accountable for her arrest and sentencing, and if she had committed any crime, they must reveal the details,” Nizamidin told RFA. “However, the Chinese government remained silent. After that, I spoke to the media seven or eight times, but the Chinese government still said nothing—one of their common strategies.” In November the following year, Nizamidin’s mother, a former school teacher who had been living in the U.S., was arrested soon after returning to the XUAR to take care of her aging parents. ‘A small achievement’ While Nizamidin said he considers China’s confirmation of his wife’s sentencing and the arrest of his mother “a small achievement,” he is frustrated that nobody has provided him with evidence of the charges against them. But he said they were likely targeted because Abdureshit attended university in Egypt, while he and his father, who resides in the U.S., live and work abroad. “I believe [my wife was arrested] because she studied in Egypt,” he said, adding that “now they know my family background, they are even more determined not to release her.” “They arrested my mother to take revenge on us—because my father is in America and I am living in Australia. They cannot [physically] do anything to us, so they took our loved ones to hurt us.” Nizamidin said he also recently learned that his father-in-law and mother-in-law had been sentenced to prison in the XUAR, but knew little else about their situation, and had been cut off from communicating with his relatives in the region. He expressed gratitude to the Australian government for intervening in his case, saying he believes the Chinese government’s rare acknowledgement of an arrest and sentencing came as the result “pressure” from Canberra and the international community. When asked what he planned to do next, Nizamidin said he would apply to Chinese authorities to visit his wife, “but I am going to seek a safety guarantee from the Australian government before I travel.” “[Despite the danger], it is my duty—whether for my mother or my wife,” he said. “It is something that I must do.” Camp network Beginning in April 2017, authorities have held up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” in a network of political “re-education camps” in the XUAR. Though Beijing initially denied the existence of re-education camps, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the XUAR, told China’s official Xinhua news agency in October 2018 that the facilities are an effective tool to protect the country from terrorism and provide vocational training for Uyghurs. Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, earlier this month said that some 1.5 million people are or have been detained in the camps—equivalent to just under 1 in 6 members of the adult Muslim population of the XUAR—after initially putting the number at 1.1 million. In November 2018, Scott Busby, the deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, said there are "at least 800,000 and possibly up to a couple of million" Uyghurs and others detained at re-education camps in the XUAR without charges, citing U.S. intelligence assessments. Reported by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/australian-04052019145335.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/australian-04052019145335.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: Uyghur Detainees from Xinjiang ‘Placed in Nearly Every Prison’ in Shandong Province

by Paul Eckert

Uyghur Detainees from Xinjiang ‘Placed in Nearly Every Prison’ in Shandong Province March 19, 2019 - Ethnic Uyghurs held in political “re-education camps” in northwest China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XUAR) are being sent to jail in Shandong province, prison officials have confirmed, as new details emerge of the system authorities use to transfer detainees out of the region. In October last year, RFA’s Uyghur Service reported that authorities in the XUAR had begun covertly sending detainees to prisons in Heilongjiang province and other parts of China to address an “overflow” in overcrowded camps, where up to 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas have been held since April 2017. And last month, RFA spoke to officials in both Shaanxi province and neighboring Gansu province, who confirmed that Uyghur and other Muslim detainees from the XUAR had been sent to prisons there, although they were unable to provide specific numbers or dates for when they had been transferred. As global condemnation over the camp network has grown, including calls for international observers to be allowed into the XUAR to investigate the situation there, reports suggest that authorities may be transferring detainees to other parts of China as part of a bid to obfuscate the scale of detentions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the region. After receiving information from an RFA listener who said that Uyghurs were also being relocated from the XUAR to detention centers in Shandong province on China’s eastern coast, RFA contacted a provincial prison official who confirmed the claim. “There are many criminals who have been transferred from Xinjiang,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They have been placed in almost every prison [in Shandong],” he added, without providing additional details. RFA was also able to contact an official on duty at the Provincial No. 1 Prison in Shandong’s Jinan city, who confirmed that at least four Uyghurs named “Asimujiang, Aili, Maimaiti and Yiliyar” had been transferred from the XUAR to the facility. The official, who also requested to remain unnamed, said he was unable to provide an estimate for the number of Uyghurs held at the prison because “it is impossible for me to check,” without providing any further information. While Beijing has acknowledged the existence of re-education camps in the XUAR, it has never officially admitted to transferring Uyghurs out of the region to other parts of the country. Bitter Winter, a website launched by the Italian research center CESNUR that focuses on religious in China, last month cited “informed sources” as confirming for the first time that detainees from the XUAR are being sent to prison facilities in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The website previously cited sources as saying that prisons in Inner Mongolia have also accepted camp detainees from the XUAR, and that authorities plan to disperse and detain “an estimated 500,000 Uyghur Muslims” throughout China, although these reports could not be independently confirmed by RFA. At the end of last year, a police officer in the XUAR’s Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture told RFA that he was aware of more than 2,000 Uyghur detainees who had been transferred from his area of the region to other parts of China. “Those who are considered to be serious offenders or have received long-term prison sentences are being moved to Mainland China,” he said at the time, adding that the deputy commissioner of the prefectural Public Security Bureau had accompanied the detainees during their transfer. “We tell [the detainees] that they will receive a better education as the facilities there are better and that there is no capacity to hold them in the XUAR because of the very high number of prisoners in the region.” Camp network Though Beijing initially denied the existence of re-education camps, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the XUAR, told China’s official Xinhua news agency in October 2018 that the facilities are an effective tool to protect the country from terrorism and provide vocational training for Uyghurs. China recently organized two visits to monitor re-education camps in the XUAR—one for a small group of foreign journalists, and another for diplomats from non-Western countries, including Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Thailand—during which officials dismissed claims about mistreatment and poor conditions in the facilities as “slanderous lies.” Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, earlier this month said that some 1.5 million people are or have been detained in the camps—equivalent to just under 1 in 6 members of the adult Muslim population of the XUAR—after initially putting the number at 1.1 million. Michael Kozak, the head of the State Department's human rights and democracy bureau, in an apparent reference to the policies of Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union, last week said people "haven’t seen things like this since the 1930s" and called the internment of more than a million Uyghurs "one of the most serious human rights violations in the world today." In November 2018, Scott Busby, the deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, said there are "at least 800,000 and possibly up to a couple of million" Uyghurs and others detained at re-education camps in the XUAR without charges, citing U.S. intelligence assessments. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/transfer-03192019150438.html | https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/transfer-03192019150438.html ] Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: China Spiriting Uyghur Detainees Away From Xinjiang to Prisons in Inner Mongolia, Sichuan

by Paul Eckert

China Spiriting Uyghur Detainees Away From Xinjiang to Prisons in Inner Mongolia, Sichuan Feb. 21, 2019 - Ethnic Uyghurs held in political “re-education camps” in northwest China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XUAR) are being sent to prisons in Inner Mongolia and Sichuan province, officials have confirmed, adding to the growing list of locations detainees are being secretly transferred to. In October last year, RFA’s Uyghur Service reported that authorities in the XUAR had begun covertly sending detainees to prisons in Heilongjiang province and other parts of China to address an “overflow” in overcrowded camps, where up to 1.1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas have been held since April 2017. And earlier this month, RFA spoke to officials in both Shaanxi province and neighboring Gansu province, who confirmed that Uyghur and other Muslim detainees from the XUAR had been sent to prisons there, although they were unable to provide specific numbers or dates for when they had been transferred. The first report, which was based on statements by officials in both the XUAR and Heilongjiang, came in the same month that XUAR chairman Shohrat Zakir confirmed to China’s official Xinhua news agency the existence of the camps, calling them an effective tool to protect the country from terrorism and provide vocational training for Uyghurs. As global condemnation over the camp network has grown, including calls for international observers to be allowed into the XUAR to investigate the situation there, reports suggest that authorities may be transferring detainees to other parts of China as part of a bid to obfuscate the scale of detentions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the region. RFA recently spoke to an official at the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Women’s Prison who said that detainees from the XUAR had been transferred to detention facilities in the region, but was unable to provide details without obtaining authorization from higher-level officials. “There are two prisons that hold prisoners from Xinjiang—they are Wutaqi [in Hinggan (in Chinese, Xing'an) League’s Jalaid Banner] Prison and Salaqi [in Bogot (Baotou) city’s Tumd Right Banner] Prison,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity. When asked how many Uyghur detainees are held in the prisons, the official said she could not disclose the number “because it is strictly confidential.” The official said she had attended a meeting on transfers of detainees from the XUAR and that prior to the meeting attendees had received notices informing them that “we are not allowed to disclose any information regarding the transportation program.” “Regardless of who is making inquiries, we cannot disclose any information unless we first obtain permission from our superiors,” she said. An official at the Wutaqi Prison Command Center also told RFA that detainees from the XUAR are being held at Wutaqi, as well as a second one in Inner Mongolia, without specifying which one. The official, who also declined to provide his name, said the detainees had been transferred to the two prisons as early as August last year, but was unsure whether they were being permanently relocated to the two prisons or being held there temporarily before they are transferred elsewhere. “The prisoners are placed in two prisons, but [the officials at the facilities] don’t report to us about what is happening inside,” he said, before referring further inquiries to his supervisor. “Regarding the number and the exact location of where they are held [in the prisons], I am unable to say,” he said. The official said he was unsure of whether any detainees from the XUAR had been sent to Inner Mongolia recently, as information about the transfers is closely guarded. “It is impossible for me to tell you how many prisoners have been transferred here this month or last month,” he said. “The authorities are keeping all the information very secret—even we don’t know the details.” Sichuan transfers Reports of detainee transfers from the XUAR to Inner Mongolia followed indications from officials in Sichuan province that prisons there are also accepting those held in XUAR re-education camps. When asked which prisons XUAR detainees are being sent to in Sichuan, an official who answered the phone at the Sichuan Provincial Prison Administration told an RFA reporter that if he was calling to “visit them,” he would first have to make an official request. One official at a prison believed to hold detainees from the XUAR in Yibin, a prefectural-level city in southeast Sichuan, told RFA that he “can’t discuss this issue over the phone” and suggested that the reporter file an official request for information. But when asked about whether there had been any “ideological changes” to procedures at the facility, a fellow official who answered the phone said “these detentions are connected to terrorism, so I can’t answer such questions.” “The transfer of Xinjiang detainees is a secretive part of our work at the prison, so I can’t tell you anything about it,” she added. The statements from officials in Inner Mongolia and Sichuan province followed recent reports by Bitter Winter, a website launched by the Italian research center CESNUR that focuses on religious in China, which cited “informed sources” as confirming that detainees from the XUAR are being sent to prison facilities in other parts of the country. The website, which routinely publishes photos and video documenting human rights violations submitted by citizen journalists from inside China, cited “CCP (Chinese Communist Party) insiders” as saying that more than 200 elderly Uyghurs in their sixties and seventies have been transferred to Ordos Prison in Inner Mongolia. Bitter Winter also cited another source in Inner Mongolia who said one detainee was “beaten to death by the police” during his transfer, and expressed concern that the victim’s body “might already have been cremated.” The website has previously said that authorities plan to disperse and detain “an estimated 500,000 Uyghur Muslims” throughout China, although this report could not be independently confirmed by RFA. Call to action Dolkun Isa, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress exile group, told RFA he was “deeply troubled” by the reports of secret transfers of detainees from the XUAR to prisons in other parts of China, saying the move signalled a “very dark intent” by authorities. “We simply cannot imagine what kind of treatment they are enduring at the hands of Chinese guards in these prisons, as this is shrouded in complete secrecy,” he said, adding that he was concerned for the well-being of the detainees. Isa called on the international community to turn its attention to the transfers and demanded that the Chinese government disclose the total number of detainees who had been moved, as well as the location of the prisons they had been sent to. “If the United Nations, U.S., EU, Turkey and other Muslims nations do not voice their concerns over this troubling development in a timely manner, I fear these innocent Uyghurs will perish in Chinese prisons without a trace,” he said. China recently organized two visits to monitor re-education camps in the XUAR—one for a small group of foreign journalists, and another for diplomats from non-Western countries, including Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Thailand—during which officials dismissed claims about mistreatment and poor conditions in the facilities as “slanderous lies.” Reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service and other media organizations, however, has shown that those in the camps are detained against their will and subjected to political indoctrination, routinely face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers, and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, has said that some 1.1 million people are or have been detained in the camps—equating to 10 to 11 percent of the adult Muslim population of the XUAR. In November 2018, Scott Busby, the deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, said there are "at least 800,000 and possibly up to a couple of million" Uyghurs and others detained at re-education camps in the XUAR without charges, citing U.S. intelligence assessments. Citing credible reports, U.S. lawmakers Marco Rubio and Chris Smith, who head the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, recently called the situation in the XUAR "the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today." Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/detainees-02212019162142.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 3 months

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'Vietnam Takes Aim at Radio Free Asia' -- Libby Liu in WSJ (OpEd) 2/20

by Rohit Mahajan

In case you missed it . The Wall Street Journal published an opinion-editorial by Libby Liu, Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> 's President, titled, "Vietnam Takes Aim at Radio Free Asia <https://www.wsj.com/articles/vietnam-takes-aim-at-radio-free-asia-1155061 9921> ," yesterday (2/20). Some excerpts: "When President Trump goes to Hanoi next week for a summit with his North Korean counterpart, he should raise with the host nation the fate of two Vietnamese journalists working for Radio Free Asia[.]" . "Popular blogger Truong Duy Nhat has been missing for more than three weeks since he fled his home in Da Nang, Vietnam, for neighboring Thailand to seek asylum. We fear Mr. Nhat was abducted and taken back to Vietnam for imprisonment and interrogation." . "Not surprisingly, Vietnam has been silent about the case. Vietnam holds many political prisoners-200, says Nguyen Kim Binh of the California-based Vietnam Human Rights Network. One of those prisoners is Radio Free Asia's Nguyen Van Hoa." . "A strong message in Hanoi from Mr. Trump about the plight of these Radio Free Asia journalists would resonate in Vietnam and beyond. It's a message that needs to be heard; governments across the region use repressive tactics to try to intimidate our network." Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

6 years, 3 months

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BREAKING NEWS: Radio Free Asia Vietnamese Blogger Missing Amid Abduction Reports

by Richard Finney

Radio Free Asia Vietnamese Blogger Missing Amid Abduction Reports Feb. 5, 2019 - A Radio Free Asia blogger from Vietnam is missing after he fled to Thailand to seek political asylum with a UN refugee agency, fueling fears in the exile community that he has been abducted by Vietnamese security agents. There has been no word from Truong Duy Nhat, a weekly contributor for RFA’s Vietnamese Service’s blog section, since Jan. 26. He last communicated with Washington-based RFA editors two days earlier over his commentary on the growing opposition movement in Venezuela and the prospects of change in Communist-ruled Vietnam. “We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of Truong Duy Nhat," RFA President Libby Liu said on Tuesday. "We hope to hear from him as soon as possible about his whereabouts and to be assured that he’s not in any danger,” she said. Nhat’s disappearance has sent a chill through the Vietnamese refugee community in Thailand and prompted a call from Human Rights Watch for Thai authorities to investigate. RFA has also reported his case to the State Department and staff of several U.S. lawmakers. Exile sources said that Nhat had gone to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees, or UNHCR, in Bangkok on Jan. 25 to apply for refugee status and they subsequently lost contact with him. Thailand-based associates of Nhat, who requested anonymity because they feared for their own safety, said that he went missing on Jan. 26 during a visit to Future Park, a huge mall on the outskirts of Bangkok. One of the sources said Nhat was “arrested” at an ice cream shop on the third floor of the mall. Thai police said they don't have Nhat in custody. “We’ve checked through the list of detainees, we don’t see him, Truong Duy Nhat, on the list,” Police Colonel Tatpong Sarawanangkoon, who is in charge of the detention section at the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok, told RFA. The UNHCR was tightlipped, citing privacy concerns. Associate external relations officer Jennifer Harrison said: “Due to reasons of confidentiality and data protection, we are unable to comment on [or even confirm/deny the existence of] individual cases.” Afraid to talk Nhat's wife, who is in Vietnam, and their Canada-based daughter are afraid to talk about his fate, exile sources said. The family believes Nhat left Vietnam for Thailand about three weeks before they heard he had gone missing, according to thevietnamese.org, an online magazine run by a group of Vietnamese activists and independent journalists. The authoritarian Vietnamese government of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is at present holding more than 200 political prisoners, including rights advocates and bloggers deemed threats to national security, according to Nguyen Kim Binh of the California-based Vietnam Human Rights Network. The government controls the news media, censors the internet, and restricts basic freedoms of expression. Nhat himself served a two-year-imprisonment in 2014-2015 for his activism after being arrested in May 2013 and held in detention until his trial. Human Rights Watch, or HRW, said Thai authorities have to investigate the case of Nhat, noting that he had come to Bangkok for the sole reason of applying for political asylum. The U.S.-based group called for the authorities to “consult with his family until he is found." HRW said Vietnam’s embassy in Bangkok may also be able to shed light on the blogger’s whereabouts. "[T]he Thai authorities have an urgent obligation to seriously investigate this disappearance,” Phil Robertson, HRW's Bangkok-based deputy Asia director, told RFA, noting that the group itself did not yet know what had happened to Nhat. "If it turns out that Vietnam and local Thai officials are found to be involved in his disappearance, there needs to be serious consequences for everyone responsible,” he said. Surveillance, harassment Robertson accused Vietnam of "consistently engaging in hostile surveillance and harassment of Vietnamese and Montagnard [minority] who fled the country to escape political and religious persecution, and this includes activities in Bangkok." "Pursuing dissidents and demanding the Thai government shut down events about human rights and democracy in Vietnam is just part of what makes Hanoi stand out as one of the worst rights abusing regimes in ASEAN [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations],"he said. "So there is every possibility that the Vietnam Embassy may know much more about Truong Duy Nhat’s mysterious disappearance than they are letting on," Robertson said. The circumstances of Nhat’s disappearance in Bangkok remain murky. But California-based blogger Nguyen Van Hai, who served in the same prison with Nhat before Hai’s release in 2014, and Germany-based blogger Bui Thanh Hieu said they suspect Nhat was abducted by Vietnamese security agents in Thailand. "We are looking at the possibility that he has been abducted," Hai, who writes under the name Dieu Cay, told RFA. "We know he arrived at Bangkok and went to the UN’s office to apply for refugee status. If for any reason Nhat now appears in Vietnam, it must be against his will," he said. Sources say that Vietnamese exiles have inquired about Nhat's whereabouts with hospitals and various district offices in Bangkok but to no avail. An associate of Nhat’s said his disappearance was also reported to Thai police late last week. Fighting in the Party Nhat is based in Da Nang city, next to Prime Minister Phuc's home province of Quang Nam where there is infighting within the Vietnamese Communist Party. He may have been privy to information that could be detrimental to the prime minister, activists said. Nhat had previously worked for a police newspaper in Da Nang, also Phuc’s stronghold. Blogger Hieu said he suspected that Vietnamese military agents abducted Nhat from Bangkok on the orders of the prime minister. "I think the prime minister wanted Nhat arrested at any costs because he has information about his faction in Quang Nam province [in Da Nang]," Hieu, who writes under the name 'Wind Trader,' said on his Facebook page. This is not the first time the Vietnamese government has been accused of abducting its citizens from abroad. Last year, a German court jailed a Vietnamese man almost four years for helping his country’s secret services kidnap a former oil executive from a Berlin street in 2017 and smuggle him back to Vietnam. Ex-oil executive Trinh Xuan Thanh was seeking asylum in Germany at that time and his disappearance soured bilateral relations, with the German foreign ministry accusing Vietnam of breaching international law. Thanh was subsequently tried and jailed for life on corruption charges in Vietnam. Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service and BenarNews. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Matthew Pennington. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/missing-02052019111653.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

6 years, 4 months

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Radio Free Asia Hires New Managing Director for Southeast Asia

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 3, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Hires New Managing Director for Southeast Asia WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today announced the hiring of veteran journalist Matthew Pennington as its new Managing Director for Southeast Asia. Pennington, an award-winning former Associated Press (AP) reporter with an extensive journalistic background in Asia, will oversee RFA's coverage of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. "Matthew brings a deep interest and expertise in Radio Free Asia's region, having more than two decades of experience covering Asia for the Associated Press and other esteemed news services," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "His extensive background as a reporter, editor, and bureau chief make him a great addition to our team. With his leadership, I am confident RFA's Southeast Asian services will continue to grow and thrive." "I'm very excited to work with RFA," Pennington said. "I've always admired its ability to provide a vital source of independent news in countries where the free press is restricted. That mission is as important as ever in Southeast Asia." As Managing Director for Southeast Asia, Pennington will work closely with the directors of four language services to manage daily and long-term operations of RFA Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, and Burmese. He will focus on enhancing the services' operations to meet audience needs, while advancing RFA's congressionally mandated mission of bringing objective, timely news and information to people living in closed countries under authoritarian rule in Asia. Pennington will report to RFA's Vice President of Programming, Parameswaran Ponnudurai. Pennington comes to RFA from the AP where he was most recently covering U.S. foreign policy in Asia, including North Korea and U.S.-China relations, and overseeing the AP's national security coverage in Washington. His new role brings him back to his journalism roots. He first wrote for AP in 1995 as a stringer in Laos, before relocating to Bangkok, where he shifted from free-lancing to become a staff writer, first for Agence France-Presse and then the AP. He covered Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia, but had other assignments across Asia. He covered the Asian financial crisis in Thailand, student protests and Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest in Burma, and the demise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In 2003, he was transferred to Islamabad, where he became bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan. He led the team that won the Society of Professional Journalists award for breaking news for coverage of the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Pennington, after returning to Bangkok, later went to the AP's Washington, D.C. bureau in 2011, where he took every opportunity to cover human rights issues in Southeast Asia, including the plight of the Rohingya, the political crackdown in Cambodia and the clampdown on dissent in Vietnam and Laos. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

6 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Vietnam’s ‘Consistent Policy’ is to Pressure Political Prisoners Into Exile: Freed Blogger

by Paul Eckert

RFA Breaking News: Vietnam’s ‘Consistent Policy’ is to Pressure Political Prisoners Into Exile: Freed Blogger Nov. 14, 2018 - Vietnam’s government regularly encourages political prisoners to relocate overseas in the hopes of using their release to improve its standing in the global community, according to a Vietnamese blogger and activist who moved to the U.S. last month after being suddenly freed from jail. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh—known by her blogger handle Me Nam, or Mother Mushroom—won a surprise release from a 10-year jail term for “anti-state propaganda” on Oct. 17 and flew to the U.S. city of Houston a day later with her elderly mother and two young children. International rights groups had long championed her cause, and while they welcomed her release, they said that she should never have been jailed for her work blogging about human rights abuses and corruption in Vietnam, and more recently voicing criticism over Vietnam’s policy toward China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Speaking to RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Tuesday, the 39-year-old said she and other political prisoners were pressured by the government to leave Vietnam. “The Vietnamese government’s consistent policy is to encourage political prisoners to move overseas,” she said in an interview. “Depending on the situation, [authorities] select who would be released so that they might receive economic benefits or an improved standing on the world stage.” Arrested in October 2016, the 39-year-old Quynh was sentenced in June 2017 to jail on charges of spreading “propaganda against the state” under Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. Quynh's detention, during which she staged several hunger strikes, was one of the more high profile cases of activists handed heavy sentences as part of an ongoing crackdown by the one-party state in the Southeast Asian nation, which holds more than 100 political prisoners and adds more to the list every week. Quynh told RFA that during her detention, prison authorities “used my relatives to pressure me.” “[The security agents] told me what I had done would be a burden to my mother and [my children], and tried to make me think that what I did was wrong,” she said. “They tried to persuade me to leave the country. I thought that deep inside they still had human sympathy and were speaking truthfully … But when I was imprisoned, I realized that none of them were good.” According to Qunyh, she tried hard not to think about her family while she was held in pre-trial detention, because otherwise she “might do whatever they want to be released as soon as possible.” “The important thing was not letting the person [monitoring me] know how happy or sorrowful I was,” she said, adding that she “had to ‘be like water.’” Activism in exile But when Qunyh was sentenced to 10 years in jail and assigned to a prison labor detail, she could not help but think of her children growing up without a mother, and she began to question herself. “When I was sentenced to 10 years, I prayed and thought that maybe I had gone too far,” she said. “I had done so much because of my beliefs, but I began to wonder if it was time to think of the children, and I thought that I might have been wrong.” When Qunyh was suddenly released last month, she took the opportunity to protect her family by relocating them to the U.S., where she has vowed to keep speaking out on human rights back in her communist nation. She said Vietnam’s policy of sending political prisoners out of the country “won’t make any impact on social and political campaigns” and could actually serve to “help the movement inside Vietnam.” “It’s not important whether one is inside or outside Vietnam,” she said. “What is important is what we want to do and how we carry it out.” Other Vietnamese bloggers have echoed Qunyh’s claims that Vietnam appears to have adopted a policy of sending critics into exile or using them as diplomatic bargaining chips. China’s communist regime used a similar tactic with jailed dissidents in the 1990s as it lobbied to enter the World Trade Organization and to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Reported by RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/prisoners-11142018132931.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: ‘I Did Not Believe I Would Leave Prison in China Alive’

by Paul Eckert

RFA Breaking News: Interview: ‘I Did Not Believe I Would Leave Prison in China Alive’ Nov. 1, 2018 - Mihrigul Tursun is a 29-year-old Uyghur woman from northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) who gave birth to healthy triplets in Egypt while her husband was working there in 2015. Soon after her children were born, she returned to China seeking help from her parents to raise them, but was arrested by XUAR authorities upon arriving by plane in the regional capital Urumqi, and the triplets were taken from her. She was released on “parole” weeks later after learning that her children were suffering from a severe respiratory illness that required surgery, but one of her sons died under mysterious circumstances while being cared for in a local hospital. In the years since the boy’s death, Tursun was taken into custody several times, including at one of a network of political “re-education camps,” where Chinese authorities began detaining Uyghurs accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas in April 2017. Tursun said she was targeted because she had lived in Egypt—one of a number of countries blacklisted by authorities in the XUAR because of a perceived threat of religious radicalization. While she was able to relocate to the U.S. in September, Tursun’s other son and daughter have developed health complications that require constant monitoring, and she has lost all contact with her husband and other family members. She recently spoke with RFA’s Uyghur Service about the struggle she endured during the three years she spent in the XUAR before fleeing China. RFA: What happened to you and your children after you returned to the XUAR from Egypt? Tursun: I had triplets—two boys and one girl—in Egypt in 2015. My husband was working there, so I had nobody to help me with the kids and I had to return home [to Cherchen (in Chinese, Qiemo) county, in the XUAR’s Bayin’gholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture] to get help from my parents … When my kids were given a medical checkup in Egypt, their health was in a great shape. I entered the Urumqi airport with my three kids when they were about two months old, on May 13, 2015. At passport control, they asked me to go with them to a different room and questioned me, saying that police would watch my children while they briefly spoke with me, but the questioning lasted three or four hours. At the end, they put a hood over my head and handcuffed me, and brought me out through a different door. My tickets and other belongings were confiscated and I was taken straight to a prison, where I was held until July. [The prison authorities] eventually told me I had been “paroled” because my kids were sick, and that I should be with them until their health improved. They also said that I was still under investigation, and that they would contact me whenever they had additional questions for me to answer. They held onto my passport, identification, cellphone—everything. I went directly to the hospital where my children were … and demanded to see my boy [who was in the emergency care facility], but they wouldn’t allow me to—I could only view him from afar. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not … The next day, they called me in and told me they couldn’t save him … They gave me his corpse. They had operated on his neck. The reason they gave for his death was that the treatment hadn’t worked, and that he had been unable to breathe. The other two kids were okay—all three of them had been given operations on their necks. I was told that since they could not eat, they had to be fed with a tube. I didn’t understand. The babies had been breastfeeding without any issues. I couldn’t communicate with my husband after I arrived [in the XUAR]. I was told not to communicate overseas. I wanted to let him know what had happened, but I didn’t know how to tell him. I buried my dead child and then I was left to deal with the trauma of losing one child, all while nursing two others and seeking medical treatment for them, in addition to needing surgery performed on my daughter’s eye … The health of my two kids has been poor ever since—especially my son. RFA: Did the authorities ever take you into custody again? Tursun: I was detained again in April 2017 [while living at home in Cherchen county], and released soon after. They wanted to interrogate me about what kinds of things I did in Egypt. I was unable to return to Egypt before this detention because all of my documents were in the hands of the authorities, and I had been blacklisted. I was tortured for seven days and nights without sleep by members of the national security department … They examined me and shaved my head. I was locked up until August, when I was released [to a hospital] because I was frequently suffering seizures and losing consciousness … Later, it was determined that I be sent to the No. 4 Mental Hospital … but my father was able to take me home for treatment, and I recovered. I was detained [the last time] in [January] 2018 … When I was sent home [after being interrogated] before this detention, I was able to go out only with the permission of the local neighborhood committee, which demanded to be informed of my comings and goings. Normally, I couldn’t even enter a store [without permission]. I couldn’t even leave our neighborhood because I would be identified as a person who had committed an unspecified crime when swiping my ID [at a checkpoint], as I had been blacklisted. When they interrogate me, they basically ask the same questions: “Who are you close to? Who do you know overseas? For which overseas organizations did you work? What was your mission?” They ask these questions because I lived overseas and because I speak a few foreign languages, so they are trying to label me as a spy. When I entered the cell, there were more than 40 women in it, but when I left, there were 68 … All of them were people I knew from the past. The cell had no windows … it was built underground … We were never taken outside to get fresh air. They would only open a hole in the ceiling for ventilation … There were cameras on all four sides—they have to see every corner of the room. I witnessed nine deaths in my cell alone. They told us that some of them had previous illnesses, while others they said died because their hearts stopped beating … We had sick people, but they were never taken to the hospital. RFA: How did you obtain your freedom? Tursun: The day I was freed [about three months later], I was told to collect my belongings in the cell and come out … They gave me back my own clothing and took the prison uniform. Two hours before my release, I was given an injection. They made me swear a lot of things and took a video of it. I swore, “I am a citizen of China. I love China. I will never do anything to harm China. China has raised me. The police never interrogated or tortured me, or even detained me.” I read the statement and signed it. I was brought to see my kids, who were staying at my neighbor’s house. They looked skinny and bruised. I was told they had bruises on their faces because they had fallen down. I took them and their belongings while being monitored by the police. I didn’t see my parents anywhere. The police told me to return after taking my kids back to Egypt [where they had been born and have citizenship]. They asked me when I would return. They warned me that my parents, siblings and other relatives were at their mercy. They said they were the ones protecting me. Then, they took my fingerprints, blood sample, recorded my voice, and documented my movements, as well as everything else. I was released on April 5 and left Cherchen three days later. I stayed in Beijing for 20 days because I was prevented from boarding my plane three times by authorities [who said I didn’t have the correct documents] … I was able to leave only on the fourth attempt. I landed in Cairo, Egypt on April 28 … I looked for [my husband] as soon as I arrived, but I learned from his coworker that he returned to China in 2016 to bring his family back and was detained at the airport in Beijing. He was later sentenced to 16 years in prison. Since leaving, I was once able to contact the teacher of my sister, who was studying in eastern China, and the teacher told me that authorities in the XUAR had arrested her while she was there during a break from classes. I haven’t been able to reach the teacher again. In July this year, I received a message from my father saying I should return to China as soon as possible because our family members missed the kids. After that, all communication ceased. I arrived in the U.S. on September 21, 2018. I have no words to express my feelings about coming to America. Sometimes, I wonder if I really arrived in America or if I entered heaven after dying in a Chinese prison. I did not believe I would leave prison in China alive. I was abused, persecuted and tortured in my own homeland where I grew up. America saved me from death. Reported by Gulchehra Hoja for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/detentions-11012018100304.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] . Reported by Gulchehra Hoja for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff.

6 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Xinjiang Authorities Secretly Transferring Uyghur Detainees to Jails Throughout China

by Paul Eckert

Xinjiang Authorities Secretly Transferring Uyghur Detainees to Jails Throughout China Oct 2, 2018 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) are secretly transferring Uyghur detainees to prisons in Heilongjiang province and other areas throughout the country to address an “overflow” in the region’s overcrowded political “re-education camps,” according to officials. Beginning in April 2017, Uyghurs accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas have been jailed or detained in re-education camps throughout the XUAR, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Sources say detainees face rough treatment at the hands of their overseers in the camps and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities. While investigating claims from members of the Uyghur exile community, official sources in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture’s Kona Sheher (Shufu) county confirmed to RFA’s Uyghur Service that authorities have been moving Uyghurs from detention centers in the XUAR to prisons in other parts of China. “Based on the seriousness of their crime, inmates are being transferred to other major prisons in the region and also to inner China,” an officer at the police department in Kona Sheher’s Tashmiliq township told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I think they are being transferred to inner China because they can be educated better there, and another reason is that since there are too many prisoners here and we are experiencing an overflow of inmates.” The officer said that authorities began relocating Uyghur inmates to other parts of China at “the beginning of this year.” “We have a political officer named Najmidin Bedelhaji who took some inmates to a Chinese city last month, but most of the time a unit of the Public Security Bureau escorts them there,” he said. “Yasin Abla, the deputy chief of the county police department, and the local head of the Public Security Bureau, is the person in charge of carrying out the transfers.” The prisoner transfers add another layer of opacity to extrajudicial detention in the XUAR, where family members are rarely provided with information about why their loved ones are arrested and where they are held. Tailai Prison Among the facilities that Uyghur detainees have been taken to is a prison with a maximum capacity of 4,300 inmates in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province’s Tailai county, where officials confirmed a transfer had occurred in recent weeks. When asked how many detainees were transferred to Tailai Prison, an official with the county Political Consultative Conference told RFA, “I don’t know the exact number,” but said they had been sent there “around one month ago,” citing information he had received from local residents. A secretary at the Tailai County Government office, who gave his name as Zhao, also said he was aware that Uyghur detainees had been sent to the county prison, but was unsure of how many. “A part of the group came in a week ago,” he said, before referring further questions to Tailai Prison officials. A Han Chinese resident of Tailai county told RFA the Uyghur detainees were sent to the local prison as part of a “prisoner exchange.” “The prisoners from Xinjiang were transferred to our county prison, and the prisoners in our prison were sent to Xinjiang,” said the resident, who asked to remain unnamed. “It seems the Uyghur prisoners were removed to prevent unrest in Xinjiang. As a result, the prison guards [here] are demanding a pay raise, citing the risks they now face at their work.” According to the resident, Tailai Prison normally interns prisoners who have been sentenced to 15 years or more in jail for serious offenses. “I believe the prisoner swap has been completed,” she said, adding that she had learned about the transfer from the family members of guards at Tailai Prison. “The People's Armed Police chartered trains and delivered the prisoners for the swap.” Train ticket moratorium Information about the prisoner swap came amid a Sept. 26 report by the Urumqi Evening News that sales of train tickets will be suspended indefinitely from Oct. 22. "The Xinjiang railway administrative departments will stop selling tickets on all passenger services leaving Xinjiang, and also for intraregional services, from Oct. 22, 2018," the newspaper reported. "A separate announcement will be made regarding when ticket sales will be resumed," it said. Meanwhile, several anonymous sources in the XUAR gave anecdotal evidence to RFA suggesting that the authorities are preparing to move large numbers of prisoners in and out of the region in the coming weeks, estimating that as many as 300,000 inmates could be transported across Xinjiang’s road and rail networks. "The prisons are overflowing all across Xinjiang, that's one reason [for the ticket sales ban]," an anonymous source told RFA. "The other reason is secrecy; because a lot of the people in the camps, such as the police, the administrators or the workers ... have connections with the local population." "Some of the staff in the jails have close relatives who have been locked up there, and they leak information to the outside world," the source said. The same source said the authorities are stepping up efforts to impose an information blackout around the camps, many of which have been identified by online researchers using satellite imagery. "There was a directive about strengthening management of the re-education camps," the source said. "There are a lot of tangled relationships in the camps, with the friends, relatives and former colleagues of camp staff locked up in there." "They are now bringing in administrators from outside the local areas, and at the same time they are transporting the prisoners outside of their local area," the source said. Thousands transported An overseas source who asked to be identified only as a Muslim, said several thousand ethnic Muslims were transported from Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasaake) Autonomous Prefecture’s Ghulja (Yining) city near the border with Kazakhstan, to Altay, in the same prefecture, while the inmates at Altay were sent to detention facilities in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture. The source said Uyghurs from Kashgar and Aksu in the south of the region were meanwhile being transferred to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or bingtuan, prison facilities in Ili. The authorities have also begun recruiting large numbers of personnel from the western region of Gansu in a bid to replace local staff and guards in the camps, the source said. In Ili's Kunes (Xinyuan) county, several hundred army and police personnel were dispatched to escort several thousand inmates of a "re-education camp for extremists" to Yining railway station, where they were put on a train for an unknown destination. Passers-by were banned from taking photos, private vehicles were banned from the streets and businesses along the route were ordered to close during the operation, a source in the region said. And a separate source said that large numbers of people had been converging on the regional capital, Urumqi, in recent days aboard buses with the windows blacked out. "It's because there are so many of them locked up; they are being taken to other parts of China, one busload at a time," she said. Route closure Meanwhile, the Aksu Highway Administration shut down the Tielimaiti tunnel along with a large section of nearby highway, citing a large snowfall in the area, according to a notice of closure shown to RFA. "Owing to recent weather conditions, the section of highway near the Tielimaiti Tunnel has seen a large snowfall over a wide area ... and are unsuitable for traffic," the notice said. National highway G217, an arterial and, in parts, a former military restricted road linking the northern and southern parts of Xinjiang across the Tianshan mountains and the Taklamakan Desert, was therefore announced closed until the end of April 2019, it said. "Traffic is prohibited to all vehicles," the notice, signed by Kucha and Aksu county highway agencies and traffic police, said. "We apologize for any inconvenience caused." A source in Xinjiang said the Duku section of the highway linking Dushanzi and Kucha could have been ordered closed to enable the secret transportation of prisoners across the region, or their transfer to railway stations for transportation to other parts of China. Another source said it may be needed to send armed police reinforcements to Ili and Kashgar, or to send detainees to other provinces. An official who answered the phone at the Xinjiang regional government press office in Urumqi on Monday declined to comment when contacted by RFA, saying it was the wrong number. Repeated calls to the police department, local police stations and guesthouses in Guma county (in Chinese, Pishan) in Xinjiang's Hotan prefecture rang unanswered during office hours on Monday. Camp network Western governments have increasingly drawn attention to re-education camps in the XUAR in recent months as media reports detail the stories of Uyghurs who have been detained in the facilities. U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert recently said the U.S. government was "deeply troubled" by the crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, adding that “credible reports indicate that individuals sent by Chinese authorities to detention centers since April 2017 number at least in the hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions.” The official warned that “indiscriminate and disproportionate controls on ethnic minorities’ expressions of their cultural and religious identities have the potential to incite radicalization and recruitment to violence.” A group of U.S. lawmakers, in a recent letter, asked President Donald Trump’s administration to “swiftly act” to sanction Chinese government officials and entities complicit in or directing the “ongoing human rights crisis” in Xinjiang. The position of China's central government authorities has evolved from denying that large numbers of Uyghurs have been incarcerated in camps to disputing that the facilities are political re-education camps. Beijing now describes the camps as educational centers. Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, has said that some 1.1 million people are or have been detained in the re-education camps, which equates to 10 to 11 percent of the adult Muslim population of the region. Dolkun Isa, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, called the reported prisoner transfers “China's attempt to eliminate the Uyghur detainees through cultural genocide coupled with ethnic cleansing.” China’s treatment of Uyghurs in the XUAR amounts to “crimes against humanity,” he said, urging the international community to “urgently respond” to the situation there. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service and by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff, Mamatjan Juma and Luisetta Mudie. Written in English by Joshua Lipes and Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/transfer-10022018171100.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 8 months

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Radio Free Asia Launches Documentary on Former Uyghur Detainees

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Launches Documentary on Former Uyghur Detainees 'Behind the Walls' Describes Re-education Camps through Firsthand Accounts WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today unveiled a video documentary interviewing former Uyghur inmates of the notorious "political re-education camps" in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Titled " <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/uyghur-detention/> Behind the Walls: Three Uyghurs Detail their Experience in China's Secret 'Re-education' Camps," the multimedia project features recent interviews with three former detainees, who describe conditions for the men, women, and even children arbitrarily detained in these facilities -- which have been estimated to hold or to have held in excess of 1 million <https://www.vox.com/2018/8/15/17684226/uighur-china-camps-united-nations> people from the XUAR. "Among those suffering human rights abuses around the world, the current plight of the Uyghur people stands out," said Min Mitchell, Managing Director for East Asia, who produced the project. "RFA has been among the first to shine a journalistic light on the situation to ensure Uyghurs are not forgotten." "These interviews with people who were once behind the walls capture more than their suffering. Their personal stories help us to come to grips with a reality of vast proportions affecting millions." The subjects of this documentary series are a Uyghur businessmen from the city of Korla, who was detained for a month after traveling to Malaysia and Turkey - two countries blacklisted by Chinese authorities; A Uyghur woman in her 20s from Kashgar, who was held for four days after studying in Turkey; and a former business owner from Hotan city who was held for six months beginning in late 2016 because his family members were known to be practicing Muslims. All of these individuals were released in early 2017 and are now living outside of China in Turkey. While China continues to deny the existence of such camps at the United Nations and in official statements, the testimonies of these three detainees make clear not only the existence of such camps, but also the way they are operated and the detainees are treated as prisoners. RFA's project gives a rare glimpse into a situation that is increasingly drawing global concern over what's being described as a new apartheid state. RFA's project was debuted <https://www.ned.org/events/behind-the-walls-three-uyghurs-detail-their-expe rience-in-chinas-secret-re-education-camps/> this morning at the National Endowment for Democracy <https://www.ned.org/> in Washington. Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service, the only Uyghur-language news service outside of China, has consistently uncovered the worsening human rights situation in China's Far West, while reporting in one of the world's most difficult media environments. Chinese authorities have long used the pretext of terrorist extremism to ramp up security and surveillance in the XUAR. But in recent years, the efforts have included high-tech surveillance, far-reaching and intrusive restrictions, which include bans on Uyghur cultural and religious expression, setting up checkpoints and "convenience" police stations on nearly every block in cities and in well-populated areas, and biometric screenings. As a consequence of RFA's early reporting of events and developments in the XUAR, six U.S.-based journalists <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/uyghurfamilies/> with the Uyghur Service have been targeted by Chinese authorities, who have detained dozens of their relatives in China. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

6 years, 8 months

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Statement on Release of Former RFA Journalists in Cambodia

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 21, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Statement of Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia, on Release of Former RFA Khmer Journalists WASHINGTON - Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia, made the following statement today in response to the release of former RFA Khmer Service journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin on bail in Phnom Penh. We welcome their release, but we must also recognize that these former journalists should never have been put in this predicament in the first place. Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin have been jailed for more than eight months, living in abhorrent conditions, without their families, without adequate medical care, without an income, and, for too long, without hope. The targeting and intimidation of anyone who has worked as an independent journalist in Cambodia is a clear violation of press freedom. With today's development, we hope all charges against them are dropped and their case is immediately dismissed. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

6 years, 9 months

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RFA Breaking News: ‘No Releases’ of Thousands Held For Years in Xinjiang Township Political ‘Re-education Camps’

by Paul Eckert

‘No Releases’ of Thousands Held For Years in Xinjiang Township Political ‘Re-education Camps’ Aug. 6, 2018 - As many as 6,000 residents of the mostly Uyghur-populated township of Haniqatam in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have been held in political “re-education camps” for as long as two years, according to a local official. Beginning in April 2017, Uyghurs accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” ideas have been jailed or detained in political re-education camps throughout the XUAR, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. A staffer at Haniqatam township’s No. 7 village police station, in Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefecture’s Kuchar (Kuche) county, recently told RFA’s Uyghur Service that no one in his township’s 26 villages had been released from the camps in the nearly two years since authorities began detaining them. “No one has been released from the re-education camps yet,” the staffer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The earliest people sent for re-education went a year-and-a-half to two years ago.” “Approximately 5,000 to 6,000” residents of Haniqatam are currently held in the camps, he said, adding that “the ratio of residents sent to camps from each village is more or less the same” based on the population size of the area. While it was not immediately clear what ratio of the local population authorities are targeting for Haniqatam’s re-education camps, official sources in other parts of the XUAR have told RFA that superiors ordered them to detain as many as 40 percent of the residents of their villages. A village security chief in Haniqatam also recently confirmed that no detainees from the township had been released, the staffer said. According to the staffer, the last major roundup of detainees in the township happened seven or eight months ago and the last detention in the township took place sometime in early July, after occurring on an almost weekly basis. “There has been a very large number of people sent to the camps so far, and none have been released,” he said. “The government’s policy is good—I think people who should be taken in for re-education are already there. The policy is getting good results.” When asked if there were any plans to release those held in the camps, the staffer said local authorities had not been notified of any timetable. “More than 100” residents of No. 7 village are currently held in political re-education, he said, adding that if anyone from his area was released, “I would know.” The staffer said that authorities in Haniqatam are currently “transferring people from the No. 3 re-education camp to the No. 1 and No. 2 camps,” and said detainees could be getting divided up based on the severity of the reason for their detention. He did not specify where the camps are located in the township, and admitted that he had never been to visit them himself. An officer from the Haniqatam Police Department told RFA that the large number of detentions in the township had resulted in 12-hour shifts for him and his fellow officers. “We are very busy and our workload is immense … because there is a long line of [relatives of camp detainees] asking for help, every day” said the officer, who also asked to remain unnamed. “In some houses the husband has been taken away, while in others the wife has been taken away, and others still have had both detained, leaving the children behind, so the families come to inform us of their difficult situation and request our help.” In addition to requests for assistance, family members of those detained must visit with the local authorities to obtain permission to visit their loved ones in the camps, he said, which has led to long lines at the police station “all of the time.” Camp network An editorial in China’s official Global Times newspaper recently dismissed international coverage of the re-education camps in the XUAR, which it labeled “training institutes,” saying western media outlets were incorrectly labeling them as “detention” sites and “baselessly criticizing China’s human rights.” Aside from the brief mention in the article, China's central government authorities have not publicly acknowledged the existence of political re-education camps in the XUAR, and the number of inmates kept in each facility remains a closely guarded secret. But local officials in many parts of the region have in RFA telephone interviews forthrightly described sending significant numbers of Uyghurs to the camps and even described overcrowding in some facilities. Citing credible reports, U.S. lawmakers Marco Rubio and Chris Smith, who head the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said recently that as many as 500,000 to a million people are or have been detained in the re-education camps, calling it ”the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.” Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, said the number “could be closer to 1.1 million, which equates to 10-11 percent of the adult Muslim population of the region.” Last week, China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) and a partner NGO, Equal Rights Initiative, said they had found through interviews with people in the region that up to 3 million residents of the XUAR, especially ethnic Uyghurs, may have been detained in the political re-education camps or forced to attend “education sessions” for “de-radicalization” as of June this year. Reported and translated by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/township-08062018145657.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 10 months

1
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RFA Breaking News: Xinjiang Rapidly Building Crematoria to Extinguish Uyghur Funeral Traditions

by Paul Eckert

Xinjiang Rapidly Building Crematoria to Extinguish Uyghur Funeral Traditions June 26, 2018 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) are rapidly constructing crematoria staffed by dozens of security personnel, according to local officials, amid concerns over the eradication of ethnic Uyghur funeral traditions. Between March 2017 and February 2018, the XUAR government listed 5-10 million yuan (U.S. $760,000 to $1.52 million) tenders for contractors to build nine “burial management centers” that include crematoria in mostly Uyghur-populated areas throughout the region, according to a report listed on the official website of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). While investigating an 8 million yuan (U.S. $1.22 million) tender from July last year for a center in Aksu (Akesu) prefecture's Shayar (Shaya) county, RFA’s Uyghur Service discovered a contact number for an existing crematorium in nearby Kuchar (Kuche) county and was told by an ethnic Han Chinese staff member there that the Shayar burial center and crematorium had yet to be completed. The staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Aksu government was “investing in these projects” and had earmarked funding to expand the size of the Kuchar crematorium as well. “A very few” ethnic minority corpses are sent to the Kuchar crematorium, he said, which are “normally brought to us with special documentation provided by the police.” “The police normally contact the head of the crematorium directly and make arrangements,” he said. “We have no right to get involved in these matters, and we have no knowledge of any details of the arrangements—only the officials know.” Among the ethnic minority corpses brought to his crematorium are those who have died in “political re-education camps,” he said, where authorities in the XUAR have detained tens of thousands of Uyghurs accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” views since April 2017. When asked if authorities are building crematoria throughout the region, the staff member said the facilities “are being built everywhere,” and typically require a staff of 15 people, who cremate two to five corpses each week in a process that takes around 90 minutes for each body. “It looks like the trend for the future will be cremation rather than burial,” he said, noting that on television “the government is calling on people, regardless of ethnic background or religion, to choose cremation over burial, as the land in Xinjiang is limited in size, and also to protect the environment and create more green land.” “All I know is that they are expanding crematoria at the moment, but the policy regarding their use has not been implemented yet,” he added. Subverting traditions Officials have previously told RFA that burial centers help them comply with the “four different orders,” referring to guidelines for governing in the region—strengthening propaganda according to the promotion of Chinese-style religion, encouraging residents to self-report and criticize their own behavior, opposing religious extremism, and expressing gratitude to the Communist Party. But members of the Uyghur exile community say authorities are using the centers to subvert ethnic traditions and remove the religious context from funerary rites, thereby taking control of the last private aspects of Uyghur lives by regulating burial practices. Other members of the exile community say that authorities use the crematoria to secretly “deal with” the bodies of Uyghurs who have been killed by security forces during protests against pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule in the XUAR, or who have died under questionable circumstances in re-education camps. Burial centers are increasingly stepping in to arrange funeral services in communities where most of the adult men—who would normally assist with the ceremonies—are in detention, sources say. According to Uyghur tradition, the dead must be cleansed by a member of the local community who is versed in religious knowledge before relatives say a final farewell. Bodies are then transported by “jinaze,” a coffin-like carriage, to a nearby mosque for a closure prayer. Afterwards, an imam recites a sermon on the meaning of life and death, reminding the congregation that everyone eventually meets their creator, regardless of what they have done on earth. The body is then transported to a cemetery for burial, and a week later, the family holds a mourning ceremony which is attended by members of the community. Exile sources say that the ruling Chinese Communist Party had never previously interfered in Uyghur funerals due to the sensitivity of the tradition, but by using the burial centers and crematoria to take over services, authorities are now able to remove one more situation in which local religious leaders hold more influence over residents than the government. Other reports Amid concerns over the expansion of burial management centers in the XUAR, a job posting listed on the official government website for the region’s capital Urumqi last month called for “50 security personnel with above average health, who are physically and mentally fit, and exceptionally brave, to work in the crematorium located in the city’s Saybagh district for a salary of more than 8,000 yuan (U.S. $1,215) per month.” An employee who recently answered the listed telephone number confirmed that he was associated with the Urumqi City Funeral Management Center in Saybagh district, but referred inquiries about the positions to the center’s recruitment office. It was not immediately clear why 50 armed guards were needed to secure the site. Other recent reports have suggested that Uyghur government officials are being encouraged to sign documents agreeing to have their bodies cremated in death, rather than buried according to traditional Uyghur customs—a claim verified by at least one official RFA spoke with in Kashgar (Kashi) prefecture’s Yopurgha (Yuepuhu) county. Perhat Yorunqash, the vice president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress exile group, called the burial management centers a form of “psychological torture” for members of the exile community, who are unable to honor their loved ones back home with Uyghur burial rites according to Muslim tradition. But he also expressed concern over policies in the XUAR that he said have increasingly come to mirror those used by Germany’s Nazi regime against the Jews, and urged the international community to send observers to the region to report on the “atrocities and killings against our people.” Camp network China's central government authorities have not publicly acknowledged the existence of re-education camps in the XUAR, and the number of inmates kept in each facility remains a closely guarded secret, but local officials in many parts of the region have in RFA telephone interviews forthrightly described sending significant numbers of Uyghurs to the camps and even described overcrowding in some facilities. Citing credible reports, lawmakers Marco Rubio and Chris Smith, who head the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said recently that as many as 500,000 to a million people are or have been detained in the re-education camps, calling it ”the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.” Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, said the number “could be closer to 1.1 million, which equates to 10-11 percent of the adult Muslim population of the region." China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Gulchehra Hoja for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/crematoriums-06262018151126.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

6 years, 11 months

1
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RFA Breaking News: Nearly Half of Xinjiang Village's Residents Sent to 'Political Re-Education Camps': Official

by Paul Eckert

cid:e499a30d87d312d6e7ff3e0581ac9ea5a326b667@zimbra June 14, 2018 - Authorities in Qaraqash (in Chinese, Moyu) county, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), have detained nearly half of the population of a village in "political re-education camps," according to a local official. Beginning in April 2017, Uyghurs accused of harboring "strong religious views" and "politically incorrect" views have been jailed or detained in re-education camps throughout the XUAR, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. A duty officer with the Chinibagh township police station in Qaraqash recently told RFA's Uyghur Service that in his home village of Yengisheher, almost all of the adult males from the area's more than 1,700 households had been placed in camps, leaving few people behind to farm the local fields. "Overall, 40 percent of the population in our village is currently in re-education camps," said the officer, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity. The officer acknowledged that village authorities were following an official directive previously reported by RFA which brands Uyghurs born in the 1980s and 1990s as "members of an unreliable and untrustworthy generation" and targets them for re-education because they are considered "susceptible" to influence by dangerous elements. He said that "only children and old people" remain in the village, and that the local labor force had been decimated by the sweep. "If the husband is taken away, his wife must take over his work, and where there are young children in a family . they must help in the fields," the officer said. For families with no remaining able-bodied members, "the village cadres have made arrangements for their fields to be cultivated by other people," he added. The officer, who said he helps to question detainees, said none of his siblings had been placed in the camps because his grandfather had taught them to "refrain from anything which would get us into trouble, and to always be loyal and give a good impression to the authorities." "From a very young age, we followed the call of the [ruling Chinese Communist] party." When asked how many residents of Chinibagh township have been detained in the camps, the officer said he was unsure, and referred questions to his supervisor. The officer's claim comes after the party secretary of Qaraqash's Aqsaray township told RFA at the end of last year that he and other township officials had received an order from county-level authorities to target 40 percent of the population for re-education. At the time, RFA found that around 5,000 of Qaraqash's population of 34,000 people-or nearly 15 percent of the county's residents-had already been taken away to re-education camps. Reports suggest similar orders for "quotas" have been given in other areas of the XUAR, and that authorities are detaining as many Uyghurs as possible in re-education camps and jail, regardless of their age, prior service to the Communist Party, or the severity of the accusations against them. Camp network China's central government authorities have not publicly acknowledged the existence of re-education camps in the XUAR, and the number of inmates kept in each facility remains a closely guarded secret, but local officials in many parts of the region have in RFA telephone interviews forthrightly described sending significant numbers of Uyghurs to the camps and even described overcrowding in some facilities. Citing credible reports, lawmakers Marco Rubio and Chris Smith, who head the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said recently that as many as 500,000 to a million people are or have been detained in the reeducation camps, calling it "the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today." Adrian Zenz, a lecturer in social research methods at the Germany-based European School of Culture and Theology, said the number "could be closer to 1.1 million, which equates to 10-11 percent of the adult Muslim population of the region." China regularly conducts "strike hard" campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/half-06142018132115.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

6 years, 12 months

1
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Radio Free Asia Ends TV Broadcasts in Myanmar

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Ends TV Broadcasts on DVB: RFA President WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) aired its last original TV broadcast on the <http://www.dvb.no/> Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) network on Myanmar's MRTV channel this evening. The Myanmar government told DVB that it could not carry RFA's programming if the word "Rohingya" continued to be used. As a policy, RFA does not accept interference by outside groups or governments in making its editorial decisions. RFA's Burmese Service's TV programming was available on the network since October 2017. RFA content and programming will continue to be available for its audience in Myanmar on shortwave radio, social media ( <https://www.youtube.com/user/RFABurmeseVideo> YouTube/ <https://www.facebook.com/pages/RFA-Burmese/39218993127> Facebook) and RFA Burmese's <https://www.rfa.org/burmese/> website. RFA's President Libby Liu said: "Radio Free Asia will not compromise its code of journalistic ethics, which prohibits the use of slurs against ethnic minority groups. RFA will continue to refer to the Rohingya as the 'Rohingya' in our reports. Use of other terms, even those that fall short of being derogatory, would be inaccurate and disingenuous to both our product and our audience. "By forbidding the use of the word 'Rohingya,' Myanmar's government is taking an Orwellian step in seeking to erase the identity of a people whose existence it would like to deny. RFA will continue to provide audiences in Myanmar with access to trustworthy, reliable journalism, particularly when reporting on issues that local and state-controlled media ignores and suppresses." # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

6 years, 12 months

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RFA Breaking News: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Orders State Organs to Repatriate Defectors

by Paul Eckert

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Orders State Organs to Repatriate Defectors June 7, 2018 - North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has ordered government agencies, including the powerful State Security Department, to exert pressure on the family members of those who have defected to South Korea in a bid to get them to return home, according to sources inside the country. A source from North Hamgyong province, on the border with China, recently told RFA’s Korean Service that Kim’s directive concerned “bringing back people who were tricked by the South Korean National Intelligence Service” and had “gone to South Korea against their will.” “The instruction stresses that the South Korean National Intelligence Service should be held responsible for this disgraceful act while a peaceful atmosphere with South Korea is being created,” the source said, referring to a recent thaw in tensions between the two rival nations that saw Kim meet with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in last month to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula. Kim also called for plans to “stop the traitors from taking an active part in the United Nations and on other international stages,” where they have exposed human rights abuses in the North, and to entice “North Korean defectors in South Korea who are experiencing difficulties adjusting to South Korean society” to return home, he said. In order to do so, the source added, government agencies have begun “quietly investigating the families of defectors.” “State security agents are gathering information on defectors’ families in each person’s work unit and are simultaneously working to propagandize defectors,” he said. “They are forcing the defectors’ family members to try to convince their relatives in South Korea to come back [to North Korea].” A second source from Yanggang province, also on China’s border, told RFA that State Security agents have stepped up patrols in his region recently and specifically mentioned a case in which they had “visited the home of a defector family and forced the mother to call her son” who had relocated to the South. “The State security agents are maneuvering to have the son come back home,” he said. However, the source said, “most [family members of defectors] are wary” of the orders they have been given by the authorities and instead “tell their relatives who have fled to South Korea or other countries not to be tricked by State Security Department” propaganda. A North Korean defector who relocated to the South Korea three years ago confirmed to RFA that family members recently began calling and trying to convince him to return home. “I recently received two calls from my wife in North Korea during which she begged me to return, saying that if I changed my mind and came back to the heart of North Korea’s leader, [the authorities] would not accuse me of any crime and we could live happily ever after,” said the defector, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “My wife proudly said our son [in North Korea] is doing well at his school … but I could tell from the sound of her voice that she was very nervous. I got the feeling that there was someone next to her, giving her instructions.” Around 30,000 North Koreans have fled to the far wealthier South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry data, 1,418 reached the South in 2016, while arrivals fell 21 percent to 1,127 in 2017. The South has blamed the drop in defections on tighter border controls by North Korea and China, after a spike in 2016 that included an unusually high number of North Korean elites. Reported by Myungchul Lee for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/defectors-06072018142629.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

7 years

1
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RFA Breaking News: Vietnam Blogger 'Mother Mushroom' in Hunger Strike Over Prison Treatment

by Paul Eckert

Vietnam Blogger 'Mother Mushroom' in Hunger Strike Over Prison Treatment June 1, 2018 - Jailed Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known also as “Mother Mushroom” has launched a hunger strike in protest at her treatment in prison, refusing to eat prison food she says sickens her, her mother told RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Friday. Quynh — who had published a blog under the handle Me Nam, or Mother Mushroom — was arrested Oct. 10, 2016 and was sentenced in June 2017 to a decade in jail on charges of spreading “propaganda against the state” under Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. Quynh’s mother, Nguyen Thị Tuyet Lan, visited her on Thursday at No. 5 Prison in Yen Dinh, Thanh Hoa province, in the country’s north central coast region, taking the blogger’s children to see her. “Quynh told me that from May 5 to May 11 she was on hunger strike to protest the prison’s treatment and that she won’t eat any food provided by prison because she felt sick after eating the food,” Lan told RFA. “She said her joints are all swollen and get worse when she has to lay on the floor,” added Quynh’s mother. Quynh, a Catholic, has not been allowed by prison authorities to receive a bible or letters from family or friends, while all letters that the blogger sent home to her family were collected by prison authorities and only given to her mother during Thursday’s visit, Lan said In February, Quynh was moved to Yen Dinh, more than 620 miles from her former location in the city of Nha Trang on the country’s south central coast without notifying her family, her mother told RFA at the time. Another female political prisoner, Tran Thi Nga, meanwhile, has been cut off from seeing her family for several months as part of disciplinary measures, her husband old RFA on Friday. A human rights defender noted in Vietnam for her online activism, Nga, 40, was sentenced on July 25 to nine years in prison for spreading "propaganda against the state" under Article 88 of Vietnam’s penal code, a provision frequently used to silence dissident bloggers and other activists. Her appeal was rejected in December. Nga’s husband, Phan Van Phong, told RFA that he received a phone call on Tuesday from an anonymous woman who said she was Nga’s cellmate and had just been released. “She called me and told me not to visit Nga this time because she is not allowed to see her family,” Phong said. “I don’t know who that person is. She told me that Nga’s health is normal. I have not been able to talk to Nga over the phone since Tet festival (in mid-February),” he said “She is not allowed to use her 5 minute phone call per month entitlement,” added Phong. No reason was given for Nga’s punishment, but Phong said that prison authorities had told him before that Nga always displayed a “protest attitude” since she was brought to her current prison. Phong added, however, that he still intended to take their two children to come see Nga in coming days. Like Quynh, Nga was transferred to a distant prison without informing her family – a measure authorities use to increase prisoners’ isolation and make it difficult for family and friends to visit them. Nga was moved in March to a prison in Gia Long Province, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from her home in Ha Nam. Reported by RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/prisoners-political-06012018162141… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org | engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org ] . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to [ mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org | engnews-join(a)rfanews.org ] . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] .

7 years

1
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RFA Wins Gracie Award for Rohingya Feature

by Paul Eckert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 23, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan | 202.530.4976 | [ mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org | mahajanr(a)rfa.org ] Radio Free Asia Wins Gracie for Online Feature on the Rohingya Refugee Crisis WASHINGTON – [ https://www.rfa.org/english/ | Radio Free Asia ] (RFA) last night was named a winner at the 2018 Gracie Awards for its in-depth webpage “ [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/rohingya-crisis/ | The Rohingya: World’s Least-Wanted People ] .” The page’s designer Minh-Ha Le, accepted the Gracie award for best website in the category for interactive news media. The Gracies are sponsored by the Alliance for Women in Media which recognizes excellence for women creators in the media and entertainment industry. “This web feature tells a difficult, complex, and fast-evolving story that needs to be told,” said Bay Fang, the executive editor of the project. “While the world watches, close to a million people, scarred by unspeakable horrors, have fled their homes to begin a life of uncertainty.” “In Myanmar, the tragedy continues with officials turning a blind eye to this man-made catastrophe that is deliberately misrepresented in Burmese media.” “Credit for this honor belongs to RFA’s web designer Minh-Ha Le. Working with RFA’s graphics and editorial teams, Minh-Ha designed a timely, important feature.” The project explores the long persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar through graphics, [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O44KNZwBS7Q | videos ] , key quotes, and current news. More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims, including about 20,000 pregnant women, fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state last August in the wake of a military counter-offensive. The exodus put a huge strain on impoverished Bangladesh, which is struggling to provide housing and health care for Rohingya, many of whom escaped with little more than the clothes on their back. The government of Myanmar does not recognize Rohingya Muslims as citizens and refers to them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Myanmar security forces have been blamed for killings, rapes and arson against the Rohingya community, in what the U.N. has described as “ [ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/un-human-rights-council-condemns-m… | textbook ethnic cleansing ] ” of the persecuted Muslim minority. Other [ https://allwomeninmedia.org/gracies/2018-gracie-winners/ | winners ] at the Gracie Awards this year include NPR, CNN, ABC News, and VICE News, among others. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

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RFA Breaking News: Workers Reduced to ‘Slaves’ Amid Rampant Debt Bondage in Cambodia’s Brick Sector

by Paul Eckert

Workers Reduced to ‘Slaves’ Amid Rampant Debt Bondage in Cambodia’s Brick Sector May 3, 2018 - Brick workers in southeastern Cambodia’s Kandal province are selling themselves and their families into slavery as “collateral” for debts they owe to factory owners, which can never be repaid due to the seasonal nature of their work, according to sources. More than 100 brick factories operate in Kandal’s Muk Kampoul district, located around 30 kilometers (19 miles) outside of Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, employing thousands of workers who labor throughout the dry season. But while factory owners get rich off of the profits to be had feeding the thriving construction industry in the capital, workers labor under harsh conditions for measly pay that they say is barely enough to feed themselves and their families, let alone establish savings. Many of the workers were initially employed elsewhere, but after receiving traditional loans through banks, agreed to transfer that debt to brick factory owners—who do not charge them interest and offer accommodations at the kilns—and work for them to repay it. Others incurred debt after repeatedly taking loans offered by factory owners to supplement their income during the rainy season, when there is not enough sunlight to dry bricks and no work to be had. Workers are regularly forced to bring their family members to labor at the factories to act as “collateral” for the debts they owe and can rarely pay off, and some have incurred debts so large that multiple generations have been required to toil at the brick kilns. Ven Phea, the deputy chief of Chheu Teal village, in Muk Kampoul’s Prek Anhchanh commune, told RFA’s Khmer Service that there are 13 brick factories in her village, which mostly employ workers from neighboring Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces. She said that many of the migrant workers had transferred debts with banks to brick factory owners under agreements which require that family members join them in working at the factories and cannot leave until the debts are satisfied. “When they agree to take loans from factory owners, they must inform them as to the total number of their family members,” Ven Phea said. “Workers must list all of their names and the amount they want to borrow. Let’s say they need [a loan]—how many people will come to work for them in return? Maybe four or five people … So these people will be named on an agreement to work in return for settlement of the debt,” she said. “The owner will not agree if the worker wants to work elsewhere, unless they repay all their debts first.” Never enough Most workers RFA’s Khmer Service spoke to asked to remain unnamed, citing fear of reprisals, but described the difficulties they endured earning a living at the kilns. Many said they received no fixed wage, but were instead paid according to the total number of bricks they made and that, due to the seasonal nature of their earnings, they would never have enough to fully pay back their debt. Vin Mao told RFA she had been working at the same brick factory in Muk Kampoul since she was a child as part of a bid to pay off a large debt her parents incurred from the factory’s owner. After more than 15 years, and now with two children of her own, she said she had saved nothing for herself and remained saddled with debt. “I don’t have anything left, except debt,” Vin Mao said, while piling bricks into the bed of a truck, her skin stained red with clay. “During the dry season, there is work to do and I can earn money to repay my debts. But during the rainy season, I don’t have anything to do, so I end up having to borrow more money [from the factory owner] to support my family.” Another worker named Skoan Yun, who runs a factory’s kilns firing bricks, told RFA he had worked there since 1993, but had never earned more than enough to feed himself and his family. He said his family members would like to find other work, but they cannot leave the factory because of the debt they owe to its owner. “Let’s say that each rainy season [the owner] loaned us 700,000 riels (U.S. $174)—it takes 10 days for two people to finish the work needed to earn that 700,000 riels [and pay him back],” he said. “Within that time, we each spend around 100,000 riels (U.S. $25) each [on supporting our families], so in the end we can never make enough to pay.” Debt bondage In December 2016, local rights group LICADHO released a report on Cambodia’s brick factories, based on interviews with around 50 workers, which said the industry “relies on a workforce of modern-day slaves—multigenerational families of adults and children, trapped in debt bondage.” “Debt bondage is widely used by factory owners as a way of guaranteeing themselves a long-term, cheap and compliant workforce,” the report says. “Because of the low rates of pay and a system of payment by piece, children are often drawn into factory work alongside their parents,” it adds, noting that debt bondage and child labor are unlawful under Cambodian law and various international treaties. Of the workers interviewed, LICADHO said the lowest debt incurred was around U.S. $1,000, though most reported owing between U.S. $2,000-3,000, and the highest debt reported was U.S. $6,000. Many said they had first gone into debt to pay medical bills, while others had borrowed money for farming and had been unable to repay because of crop failure, before transferring the debt to factory owners. Am Sam Ath, the head of LICADHO’s investigation unit, recently told RFA that brick workers are treated like “slaves” by using them as collateral for debts that owners know will never be made whole. “When laborers go to work [at brick factories], they don’t receive any work contract, only debt agreements,” he said. “This means that the worker takes on debt and will have to work for the owner to repay it. Should they or their family members want to quit, they will have to settle all of their debts first. If they don’t honor their debts, the owner will threaten them with a lawsuit—several workers have already been subject to such threats.” Am Sam Ath said that the government could eliminate debt bondage in the brick industry by setting a minimum wage for brick workers, similar to what exists for workers in the country’s highly profitable garment industry, instead of allowing them to be paid by brick. He also called on the government to prevent factory owners from allowing workers to take on too much debt, which could cause them to default on loans over the course of several generations. Government assessment Veng Hieng, the director of Cambodia’s Department of Child Labor under the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, told RFA that the country’s laws prohibit the transfer of debt from parent to child, or other members of the family’s next generation. He said that the use of family members as loan collateral is “not how Cambodia’s brick industry operates,” but that if such cases do exist, they should be reported to the authorities, who will “take action in accordance with the law and arrest the perpetrators.” “At our ministry, we take all efforts to carry out correct measures in terms of conducting inspections [of all industries],” he said. “The brick industry is a minor sector, but there is no slavery—or debt bondage that can be referred to as a kind of slavery—within the sector. Generally, owners take stringent measures. Otherwise, they will be subjected to warnings, fines or have their businesses shut down.” In LICADHO’s report, the group called brick factory conditions “hazardous,” said accommodations at the facilities are often “unsanitary,” and noted that accidents regularly occur at work sites. It said lax government oversight means that laws regulating the industry are not enforced and owners routinely go unsanctioned. Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/bricks-05032018130520.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

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A Year 'Like No Other': RFA President Responds to RSF Press Freedom Index

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org A Year 'Like No Other': RFA President Decries 'Unprecedented' Crackdown on Independent Voices in Asia Rise of Authoritarianism, China Model Undercuts Asian Press Freedom in RSF's Index WASHINGTON - The media environment in <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio Free Asia's broadcast region is showing dramatic decline, according to the Reporters Without Borders <https://rsf.org/en> (RSF) 2018 Press Freedom Index <https://rsf.org/fr/classement> . And this is particularly true in Cambodia and Burma - countries for which press freedom hopes have eroded over the past year. The report <https://rsf.org/fr/classement-mondial-de-la-liberte-de-la-presse-2018-la-ha ine-du-journalisme-menace-les-democraties> especially cites China's model of media suppression, which has been exported to and duplicated by many countries under authoritarian rule in Asia. "The past year up to now has been like no other for RFA," RFA President Libby Liu said. "Authoritarian strongmen in Asia - who rule countries to which RFA broadcasts - have shown little, if any, restraint in targeting RFA journalists and sources, as well as their families and loved ones. "More countries have adopted China's censorship model, which has led to unprecedented efforts to attack and jail reporters and citizen journalists, and crush all forms of dissent. "RSF is absolutely correct in noting the dramatic fall in Cambodia. There two former RFA reporters - Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin - have been jailed for almost six months on trumped-up charges that are clearly related to their past connection with our organization. And this is after the Cambodian government forced the closure of RFA's bureau in Phnom Penh just after last year's communal elections and before national polls this summer. "Six of RFA's Uyghur reporters still have family members missing or detained in re-education camps in China. Authorities have given no word of these individuals' whereabouts, let alone their well-being or if they're receiving the medical care they need. "In Vietnam, former RFA contractor Nguyen Van Hoa and RFA contributors such as blogger Mother Mushroom and Nguyen have all received harsh, long jail sentences." RSF's annual survey is especially critical of Cambodia, which fell 10 places in the Index to 142nd, one of the biggest falls in the region. The report cites Prime Minister Hun Sen's "ruthless offensive against media freedom in 2017, shutting down more than 30 independent media outlets and jailing several journalists in a completely arbitrary manner." RSF says the documented crackdown in Cambodia on "independent voices," the government's "increased dominance of the mass media," and the "meticulous control of social media" are a "disturbing echo of the methods used in China," which has invested heavily in Cambodia's pro-government mouthpiece media. China meanwhile is described in the report as becoming a "contemporary version of totalitarianism," citing Xi Jinping's steps to establish a "new world media order under its influence." In Vietnam, people who blog about banned subjects can expect a 15-year jail term. Of the 180 countries ranked, RSF put North Korea dead last, China at 176; Vietnam, 175; and Laos, 170 - consistent with the 2017 index. Cambodia dropped 10 places to the 142nd spot and Myanmar to 137, dropping six places from last year's index. The report also cited other worsening trends in Asia. China now has more than 100 bloggers and journalists detained as President Xi Jinping has stepped up efforts to retain complete control over internal news coverage. <http://www.rfa.org/about/> RFA provides accurate, fact-based news and information via short- and medium-wave radio, satellite transmissions and television, online through the websites of its nine language services, and social media such as <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Free-Asia/31744768821> Facebook and <https://www.youtube.com/user/RFAVideo> YouTube, among other widely used platforms in its countries of operation. RFA's language services are Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uyghur, in China; Burmese; Khmer (Cambodian); Vietnamese; Lao; and Korean. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

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Radio Free Asia's Rebel Pepper e-Book Wins Major Award

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 24, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia's Rebel Pepper e-Book Wins Prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) was announced as a winner of a Sigma Delta Chi award for " <https://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> Drawing Fire: The Political Cartoons of Rebel Pepper" by the Society of Professional Journalists <https://www.spj.org/> (SPJ) in the international competition's new category of best e-book. RFA's e-book collects the work of resident political cartoonist and Chinese dissident Wang Liming, who goes by the pen name of "Rebel Pepper." The collection was released <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/politicalcartoonist-ebook-12132017115827 .html> last December and includes a selection of Wang's drawings tackling issues from North Korean nuclear provocations to Cambodian political machinations to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, among others. "Rebel Pepper's political cartoons show the power of humor and satire as tools of free expression," said Bay Fang, RFA's Executive Editor, who edited the e-book. "This collection is especially resonant with RFA's audiences in countries under authoritarian rule that restrict free speech and free press. "Radio Free Asia is honored to accept this prestigious award for our e-book that shows the amazing breadth of Rebel's work." In his native China, Wang's success in giving expression to the thoughts of his thousands of followers on both taboo subjects and everyday experiences drew the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party. In 2014, Wang was forced to leave his homeland, finding haven first in Japan before settling in Washington, D.C. Throughout his journey he continued to hone his craft, challenging Chinese state-controlled narratives and expanding his graphic editorials for RFA. "Drawing Fire" includes 50 of Wang's cartoons, in which he shapes nuanced geopolitical complexities into sharp and relatable pieces of visual art. Wang's cartoons have appeared in the Japanese edition of Newsweek, Index of Censorship, and China Digital Times, among other publications. He began working for RFA in June 2017. Other notable winners <https://twitter.com/spj_tweets/status/988475924466237440> of this year's Sigma Delta Chi Awards include reporters, columnists, and designers with the Associated Press, ProPublica, NPR, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Center for Investigative Reporting, Politico, and the Intercept, among others. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

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