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Itunesbm275 Baghdad Brian Arrested in China
Fellow independent video blogger and friend Baghdad Brian, along with 5 other individuals, was arrested Thursday in Beijing. They are accused of being part of an overseas pro-tibet activist group. Brian was there to report about the demonstrations during the olympics as an independent journalist.
Chinese authorities say they must serve a 10 day jail sentence, according to the American embassy the conditions they are living in are better than average (perhaps because they’re foreigners). Since the start of the olympic games at least 400 people have disappeared as part of the continued repression of pro tibet and other human rights demonstrations. These disappeared include many journalists who are their without the supervision of Chinese government handlers.
The following podcast features an interview with Brian’s wife, Eowyn, who explains what she knows about Brian’s situation, the group, and people who have risked their freedom and well-being in protest of the Chinese government and their disregard for basic human rights. More information can be found here. Please listen to the program and do pass on the link, otherwise all we have is the image of the mainstream press… the picture perfect images of the olympic games and China on television.
Music:
Phil Ochs – I’m Going to Say it Now
Utah Phillips – Ain’t it Grand
[...] view the original blog post here [...]
Just a quick note from us at SFT… appreciate the “emergency” episode and the call to action. Keep up the great independent media creation.
Reblog’d here:
http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org/2008/08/22/citizenreporterorg-podcast-on-brian-conley-beijing6/
Some more information on what you can do to support Brian and the others is now posted here:
http://freetibet2008.org/globalactions/citizenjournalists/update0821/#youcandoit
THANKS!!!
[...] Bicyclemark just interviewed Bhagdad Brian’s wife. Brian was imprisoned yesterday for videotaping a protest in Beijing. This is ridiculous. First China deports vloggers for doing the same thing. Now they’ve upped the ante by imprisoning the vloggers. Is it because they know Americans don’t give a shit? Please listen and spread the word. America cannot allow China to imprison American citizens for doing what America is supposedly all about: speaking freely. [...]
I’ll light a candle for them.
thanks bro!
Good job, Mark.
Thank you Chris. Just wish I had more influence to make something happen. thankfully something worked… Brian is free!
Thanks for the story – glad to hear he’s free now. It was enlightening to hear how a protest movement can attempt, and sometimes succeed, to enable independent journalists to cover a story that is being repressed by the mainstream media and a tyrannical regime. It takes some careful maneuvers, obviously.