"Two independent journalists were detained by Chinese officials after they published a report alleging corruption by a local official in southwestern China, rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday, condemning the incident. Police in Chengdu said they were investigating a 50-year-old man surnamed Liu and a 34-year-old surnamed Wu on suspicion of making "false accusations" and conducting "illegal business operations." Authorities said they were placed under "criminal coercive measures," a term typically referring to detention."
"RSF, the Paris-based advocacy group, said the case underscored an increasingly hostile environment for independent reporting in China. "Anyone who dares to investigate malpractice by the Chinese regime is swiftly persecuted by the authorities," RSF's Taipei-based advocacy manager Aleksandra Bielakowska said in a statement to news agency AFP. China ranks 178th out of 180 countries in RSF's press freedom index and is the world's "biggest jailer of journalists," the group said."
Two independent journalists were detained in Chengdu after alleging corruption involving Pu Fayou, Pujiang county Communist Party secretary, and other county officials. Police said they were investigating a 50-year-old man surnamed Liu and a 34-year-old surnamed Wu on suspicion of making "false accusations" and conducting "illegal business operations," and that they were placed under "criminal coercive measures," a term typically referring to detention. Chinese media and Reporters Without Borders identified the journalists as Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao. The allegation was removed from the WeChat platform. Reporters Without Borders said the case underscored a hostile environment for independent journalists and cited China's low press freedom ranking.
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