Anti-Falun Gong Propaganda Debunked on State-run Airwaves
China Ranked 2nd Worst in Freedom of Press by RSF
On one side of the world last week, TV news was unavailable to millions during an historic power blackout. On the other side, another, equally unheard-of event unfolded: programs reporting the crimes of China’s former leader Jiang Zemin and other human-rights related news ran unimpeded by the usual government censors, reaching millions of Chinese across ten provinces.
According to sources inside China who contacted overseas Falun Gong practitioners, on three evenings last week audiences in Mainland China were able to view video clips banned by the central government.
While it is not known who was responsible for the broadcasts or how they were accomplished, the content was reported through several letters and phone calls.
The programs, which ran during the evening primetime on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of last week, included material detailing the lawsuit filed in the US against former leader Jiang Zemin for his role in persecuting Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin’s order to cover up the true count of SARS victims and other crimes against China, and a third-party report debunking anti-Falun Gong “self-immolation” propaganda put forth by Xinhua.
Radio Free Asia and Voice of America also reported being contacted about the recent broadcasts, and Xinhua published a statement about them, as well.
Mr. Epring Zhang, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Information Center, commented on the recent broadcast, “[this] continues the trend of nonviolent steps taken toward exposing and ending the persecution of Falun Gong in China. These broadcasts harm neither people nor equipment, but they break through the lies that Jiang Zemin’s regime has used to hide its ghastly crimes.”
The Reach of These Broadcasts is Huge
On August 15, a spokesman for the Sino Satellite company (as reported by the BBC Monitoring Service) revealed that the reach of the broadcasts on August 12 and 13 was huge, with the signals of China Central TV, China Education TV, and ten provincial stations having been “seriously jammed.” Previous broadcast interruptions in Mainland China have overtaken single frequencies and smaller signals in regional areas, while last week’s events had the potential to reach a much larger audience.
China Ranked Second-to-Last in Freedom of Press Index
Broadcasts such as those last week temporarily, but radically, change the terms on which the Jiang’s regime can carry out widespread persecution.
China is ranked second worst (just behind North Korea) for freedom of press in a recent study by Reporters Without Borders. Jiang’s regime has employed many methods to block any non-government sponsored news sources, including jamming radio signals from neighboring countries, banning overseas print news that reports on Jiang unfavorably, custom Internet hardware that can block sensitive content and track those who try to access it, etc.
According to the Reporters Without Borders Freedom Index report, “In the worst-ranked countries, press freedom is a dead letter and independent newspapers do not exist. The only voice heard is of media tightly controlled or monitored by the government. The very few independent journalists are constantly harassed, imprisoned or forced into exile by the authorities. The foreign media is banned or allowed in very small doses, always closely monitored.”
Information Monopoly Protects Jiang, Harms Chinese People
This information monopoly protects Jiang Zemin, but at the expense of the Chinese people.
Broadcasting news inside China about the lawsuits brought against Jiang in the United States and around the world is reported to have a particularly powerful impact on the Chinese people, who are often shocked to learn of the crimes he has committed, and his gross violations of the Chinese constitution.
In a lawsuit being heard by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Jiang and the “6-10 Office” are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. The “6-10 Office” is an extra-judicial organization formed by Jiang with the sole mission of eradicating Falun Gong.
Similar suits have been filed in Australia, Canada, as well as the International Criminal Court, with other lawsuits soon to be filed in Europe.
“It is hard for many people outside of China to imagine the influence a state-run media has on its people,” commented Mr. Erping Zhang. “We must put ourselves in the shoes of the everyday Chinese citizen. Jiang has hidden his crimes from the Chinese people for many years. Now, through efforts to clarify the truth both within China’s borders and internationally, people are finally seeing the truth of what he has done. This news is precious for China’s people to know.”
Posting date: 21/Aug/2003
Original article date: 21/Aug/2003
Category: World News
