China
Seven charged in murder of journalistPosted Jul 20 2007
Seven people have been charged in the murder of Chinese reporter Lan Chengzhang, according to the BBC. The China Trade News employee died in early January after he was beaten to death while investigating an illegal mine in the Shanxi province. The owner of the mine, Hou Zhenrun, surrendered to authorities on Jan. 19 after a police manhunt. He allegedly told men to attack Lan with iron bars and other weapons. The police detained suspects Zheng Wenping and Ma Li on Jan. 18. Hou Zhenrun, Wu Qiang, Li Zhihong and Gao Bo surrendered to the police days later. The Lan case sparked widespread discussion on issues of news extortion, press credentials and violence against the media. Authorities claimed that Lan was a “false” journalist who did not possess official accreditation and who was attempting to extort money from mine owners. In a rare intervention, China's president, Hu Jintzo, ordered a full police investigation in response to the controversy over Lan's death. However, Reporter's Without Borders expressed their regret that an independent investigation was not carried out to explore the unexplained aspects of the case.