Christians in the country’s east, the journalist said on Monday, August 21.
Zan Aizong, who recently converted to Christianity and was baptized in July, had been working as bureau chief of the Zhejiang office of the China Ocean News newspaper. His dismissal came shortly after officials released him from
detention Friday, August 18.
"The authorities are doing whatever they can to crack down on reporters who dare to tell the truth," Zan told Reuters news agency. "They deprived me of my freedom some days ago, and now they are taking away my job".
Earlier this month, Zan said he was detained for a week on charges of "spreading rumors harmful to society" in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, after issuing reports on the Internet, criticizing the demolition of a nearby church.
On July 29, as many as 3,000 local Christians and police clashed over the demolition of the church, which officials said was torn down because those constructing it had not first obtained required permits. Over 20 Christians detained during the demolition of the mega-church were believed to be still in prison last week, amid fears that more churches would be destroyed by Chinese security forces as part of what local believers called the worst persecution in 140 years.
DOZENS DETAINED
At least 50 Christians were arrested July 29 when police clashed with the Christians who tried to prevent the demolition of their nearly completed church building, said US-based religious rights group China Aid Association (CAA).
The dispute has become a focus for dissident Chinese Christians who reject the ruling Communist Party’s limits on religious practices, observers say. Most of China’s estimated 80 million Christians prefer to worship outside the state-backed churches, according to church sources and human rights groups.
In a statement monitored by BosNewsLife, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was "alarmed by the detention" of Zang because of his attempts to cover the problems of Christians via the Internet. "The government has launched a massive crackdown on reporting of sensitive topics like religion and public protest," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. "Zan Aizong has been detained simply for his journalistic work."
Zan is not the only journalist persecuted for his Internet comments, human rights groups say.
YAHOO INFORMATION
Last year Yahoo Inc., the global Internet giant, admitted it gave Chinese authorities information later used to convict a Chinese journalist now imprisoned for leaking state secrets. The journalist, Shi Tao, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sending foreign-based Web sites a copy of a message from Chinese authorities warning domestic journalists about reporting on sensitive issues.
China requires reporters to accept the Communist Party’s control of information and opinion, and those objecting this policy can face prosecution. Reporter Zan said he was released from detention on August 18, but on Monday he received a written notice from his newspaper that he had been fired. The notice was reportedly dated August 15.
China’s press censorship watchdog, the General Administration of Press and Publication, demanded his dismissal, Zan said. "They said I am not suitable to be a reporter," he explained, adding that no Chinese media would be willing to hire him. Christian believers like him fear it will become more difficult to share reports of persecution with the outside world. (With reports from China and BosNewsLife Research).
