China
Detained journalist beaten in prisonPosted Nov 1 2007
Qi Chonghua, a detained journalist in Tengzhou, a city in the eastern province of Shandong, was interrogated and beaten while in police custody, according to Reporters Without Borders and Committee to Protect Journalist. Qi's lawyer told Agence France-Presse: “The police have slapped him in the face more than 20 times…they told him they could hit him as much as they liked and could disguise his death as suicide.” Qi was arrested, with his colleague, Ma Shiping, this June for writing stories on corruption in local administration as well as sensitive topics such as displacement of peasents and environment problems. “The accusations of extortion are inadmissible as all he did was report on corruption,” his wife, Jiao Xia, told AFP. Qi and Ma have no been brought before a judge, so their detention lasts longer than what the law lasts. They are now waiting for trial. Both charges can put them into jail for at least a three-year sentence in China.