External-List January 2021

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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

3 years, 8 months

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

3 years, 9 months

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External-List January 2021