Second SCMP reporter dropped out of contact in China last year, sources say | Media News

A Hong Kong reporter who has been unreachable since travelling to China multiple month in the past is the second journalist at her newspaper to have a prolonged unexplained absence from work in as a few years, in keeping with a number of folks conversant in the scenario.

Minnie Chan, a reporter with the South China Morning Put up (SCMP), has been out of contact with buddies since travelling to Beijing in late October to attend the Xiangshan Discussion board, Japan’s Kyodo Information reported on Thursday, elevating fears she might have been detained by Chinese language authorities.

The Hong Kong-based SCMP, which is owned by Chinese language tech large Alibaba, stated on Friday that Chan is on private depart in Beijing and that it had been knowledgeable by her household that she “wants time to deal with a non-public matter”.

“Her household has informed us she is secure however has requested that we respect her privateness,” a spokesperson for the newspaper stated. “We’re in touch with Minnie’s household and we’ve no additional info to reveal.”

The SCMP’s assertion, nevertheless, has not assuaged issues about Chan’s welfare, with associates and media freedom teams calling for assurances of her security.

Chan’s absence comes after one other SCMP reporter dropped out of contact in China for plenty of months in 2022, elevating issues amongst colleagues that they might have been detained, 4 folks conversant in discussions within the newsroom informed Al Jazeera.

The reporter, whose work was not printed at SCMP for a interval of 9 months, later returned to work on the newspaper, however in a special part overlaying much less politically delicate information. The reporter has not written for SCMP for plenty of months and it’s unclear if she remains to be employed on the newspaper.

Al Jazeera has chosen to not identify the reporter, who didn’t reply to requests for remark, out of respect for his or her privateness.

The SCMP declined to touch upon “speculative reporting” in regards to the second reporter, citing privateness issues.

“The protection of our journalists in the midst of their skilled work is of the utmost significance to us,” a spokesperson stated.

Media freedom organisations, together with the Committee to Shield Journalists (CPJ), proceed to be involved about Chan’s welfare.

“Experiences in regards to the disappearance of Hong Kong journalist Minnie Chan after a piece journey to Beijing are extraordinarily regarding, and Chinese language authorities should instantly disclose her location and assure her security,” Iris Hsu, the CPJ’s China consultant, stated in a press release on Friday.

“Journalists should be capable to do their work with out fearing for his or her security.”

Former South China Morning Put up editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei additionally stated on social media that he was “pray[ing] for Minnie Chan, my pal and my former colleague at SCMP”, with out elaborating additional.

On Monday, Article 19, a freedom of expression advocacy group, criticised the SCMP for threatening authorized motion towards Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), a web-based information outlet, after its editor-in-chief contacted the newspaper for touch upon Chan’s case.

“That HKFP has been singled out with the specter of authorized motion has all of the hallmarks of arbitrary litigation to silence and intimidate a free press performing its perform as a public watchdog,” stated Michael Caster, Article 19’s Asia digital programme supervisor.

“Relatively than threatening authorized motion, South China Morning Put up ought to be pleased about the outpouring of assist and solidarity for its journalist.”

Article 19’s assertion got here after the SCMP informed HKFP’s editor-in-chief in an e-mail that it was “involved it’s possible you’ll be dashing to conclusions not supported by info” and that it reserved the precise to take authorized motion towards “any misreporting of this matter regarding the Put up.”

Hong Kong’s media atmosphere, as soon as among the many most vibrant in Asia, has deteriorated dramatically for the reason that introduction of a Beijing-decreed nationwide safety legislation in 2020.

The SCMP, which has turn out to be recognized for its pro-Beijing editorial line lately, was spared from police raids that shuttered many of the metropolis’s unbiased and pro-democracy media.

China is among the many world’s worst jailers of journalists, with at the least 43 reporters in custody in 2022, in keeping with the CPJ.

Final month, Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist who labored with Chinese language state-run CGTN, was launched after spending three years in custody on nationwide safety fees.

Chinese language authorities have a spread of powers at their disposal to detain journalists for lengthy intervals with out cost.

Chinese language police can maintain suspects for as much as 37 days earlier than making an official arrest and as much as 13.5 months earlier than urgent formal fees, in keeping with a Canadian journey advisory.

Underneath one other type of detention often known as “residential surveillance at a chosen location”, suspects might be held for as much as six months with out being charged or getting access to a lawyer.