French Reporter’s Press Card Declined for Speaking for Terrorism

The Chinese government confirmed Saturday that it will not renew the press credentials of French jounalist Ursula Gauthier of L’Obs magazine because of an article she wrote about terrorism and Beijing’s response to the jihadist attacks in Paris, which consequently obliges the reporter to leave the country before December 31.

The denial of a correspondent’s press credentials – which are necessary for a visa renewal – amounts to a form of expulsion.

“Chinese society has very few freedoms, so if it takes away freedom of opinion, of expression and freedom of press, than I am afraid we are going back, way back to a period of Chinese history that we all thought is over”, she said. She was urged to recant and apologize; Gauthier refused.

Ms. Gauthier would be the first foreign correspondent to be expelled since the 2012 expulsion of Melissa Chan, correspondent for the English-language service of Al Jazeera.

Gauthier’s combative article, which was published last month after the 13 November terrorist attacks in Paris, questioned the Communist party’s policies in Xinjiang, a troubled and resource-rich region in China’s far-west that is home to the largely Muslim Uighur minority. Reportedly Xinjiang is prone to ethnic rioting and instances of attacks on civilians by Islamic extremists.

The region’s heavy security presence often precludes journalists from accessing the scenes of these attacks, making independent reporting almost impossible.

While the domestic media in China is subject to strict control and many topics are taboo, the foreign media is free to publish on any topic.

Expecting the move, Ursula Gauthier, a longtime journalist for the French news magazine L’Obs, said late Friday night that she was prepared to leave China.

By then, state media had begun a campaign against Gauthier, accusing her of having deep prejudice against China and having hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

“She forgets that people all over the world have the same right to protect themselves from being killed for no reason”, wrote the China Daily.

“She’s been working in China for over a decade”.

Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.

The journalist’s failure to apologise for her article meant she was “not suitable to continue to stay in China” and “China does not tolerate freedom for terrorist purposes”, the statement said.

China’s draft law evoked sharp criticism from United States which expressed “serious concerns” saying that such a law which would do more harm than good against the threat of terrorism.

“They want a public apology for things that I have not written”, she told the Associated Press. I did the maximum I could do. She said she should be prosecuted if that were the case.

“If I had actually written what they accuse me of, I deserve to be put in prison, not expelled”, Gauthier told AFP. How is it possible? “If they keep the common interests of mankind in mind, some people would know which side to stand for”.

The French foreign ministry on Friday issued a terse statement in which it regretted that her visa was not renewed. “It was impossible to back down after that”.