CHALLENGING MEDIA TABOOS IN XINJIANG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 013025

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2031
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KISL CH
SUBJECT: CHALLENGING MEDIA TABOOS IN XINJIANG

REF: BEIJING 11753

Classified By: Classified by Acting Political Internal Unit Chief
Susan Thornton. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Xinjiang journalists face particularly heavy
restrictions stemming from Xinjiang's unique political
sensitivities and large ethnic minority population.
The local media is generally prohibited from reporting
on interethnic disputes, matters pertaining to
terrorism or separatism as well as most international
topics, according to a journalist for Xinjiang's most
widely read tabloid. The government fears that even
minor stories with ethnic undertones could spark
unrest. Despite these challenges, one investigative
journalist has persisted in her attempts to expose
rights violations, particularly those linked to
corruption and forced evictions that have become
endemic to Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital. Another bright
spot is a Xinjiang Radio live program that helps
callers obtain official redress for grievances. End
Summary.

Sensitivity of Ethnic Issues
--------------


2. (C) Journalists in Xinjiang must follow
particularly stringent reporting guidelines due to the
political sensitivities surrounding Xinjiang's large
minority and especially Uighur Muslim population,
according to Li Ping, a reporter for the City Life
News Morning Post, Xinjiang's most widely read
tabloid. Li, who investigates legal issues, explained
to Poloffs during a late May trip to Xinjiang that
articles drafted on "East Turkestan independence
forces" or other matters pertaining to terrorism or
separatism are almost never published in the local
media. Even the few articles that are eventually
approved are extremely diluted.


3. (C) The City Life News Morning Post editor refused
to publish Li's report on a recent case in which the
police confiscated "illegal materials espousing
jihad," distributed in the predominately Uighur
Erdaoqiao neighborhood of Urumqi, she said. The
propaganda department also restricts journalists from
reporting on interethnic disputes that occur
sporadically in the region. A story Li covered about
an interethnic murder of four bus passengers near the
northern city of Kelemayi was rejected by her
supervisor, while eventually appearing in a different
paper in a very abridged version.


4. (C) Even seemingly innocuous pieces that deal with
ethnic issues are frequently censored, Li asserted.
For example, Li's editor did not approve an article
she wrote about a Uighur taxi driver who died after
falling asleep at the wheel, ostensibly due to
overwork. The government fears that such stories
could fuel ethnic unrest, so editors are extremely
reluctant to publish anything about minorities, she
remarked. While Xinjiang borders several countries,
the local media is also prohibited from reporting on
international topics. Li recalled a legal case in
which an Azerbaijani businessman owed a large sum of
money to a Xinjiang merchant, who after two years took
the foreigner to court. Although the presiding judge
was willing to grant Li an interview, her editor would
not publish the story because it involved a foreign
national, which she was told could have negative
consequences for China's foreign relations.

Dedicated Investigative Journalist
--------------


5. (C) Despite the numerous restrictions she faces in
reporting on sensitive legal topics, Li remains
dedicated to exposing corruption and rights
violations, especially in connection to urban
development, another politically charged subject. The
City of Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, plans to demolish
300,000 square meters of "illegal housing" this year,
she stated. However, much of the housing the
government defines as "illegal" was actually purchased
by residents through what they mistakenly regarded as
legitimate channels. Many of these people were
unknowingly swindled by corrupt officials or
developers, who had no legal right to sell the
property. The Urumqi Government's attempts to

BEIJING 00013025 002 OF 002


repossess these homes to make room for development
projects have produced a major backlash from
residents, Li asserted.


6. (C) Li noted one such incident she recently
witnessed in which a mob of over 70 disgruntled
residents, mostly Hui Muslims from Urumqi's Tianshan
District, gathered to protest the imminent demolition
of their homes, which had been deemed illegal by the
city. Protesters proceeded to clash with local police
officers sent to prevent residents from disrupting the
project. When the district head, a Uighur man,
arrived at the scene in attempt to calm the situation,
a protester hurled a rock through his car window.
Having viewed the whole heated episode from the
shelter of a nearby building, Li lamented that her
detailed report on the incident never appeared in the
newspaper.


7. (C) Li said she was also in the process of
tracking a case in which a city official presented a
piece of land as a "gift" to his friend, a district
public security bureau chief. The local police chief,
having been presented the land, filed suit against a
resident on the property who refused to move. During
the court hearing, the defendant argued that the
police chief did not have a property deed for the land
so there was no legal basis for the eviction. This
left the judge in a difficult position. According to
Li, the judge has still not decided whether to issue a
just verdict in support of the defendant or succumb to
pressures to back a powerful local official as is
generally expected of the court system. Li drafted a
report on the story but only a couple lines of the
original piece survived the editing process.

Residents Seek Redress through the Radio
--------------


8. (C) In spite of heavy censorship, Li asserted that
the Xinjiang media is striving to play a role in
protecting ordinary citizens' rights with some
success. The daily radio talk show "Distant Mountain"
(yuan shan) helps resolve Xinjiang residents'
grievances, according to mid-20s host Zhou Jianjun
(Reftel). Callers to the program discuss problems
they face, frequently citing instances of official
corruption, rights violations and forced relocation.
Zhou brings these issues to the attention of the
appropriate Xinjiang government agencies, which are
supposed to investigate and help resolve callers'
poblems.


9. (C) Zhou emphasized that just a ew years ago
allowing residents to express thir grievances during
a live broadcast would have been out of the question.
He acknowledged that callers are screened before they
are allowed on air and that certain sensitive topics
are not permitted to be discussed, especially issues
that directly criticize high-level officials or
involve ethnic tensions. Zhou asserted that the show
has become very popular, adding that he has received a
great deal of positive feedback from callers, many of
whom are ethnic minorities. One Shihezi City resident
who learned of the program traveled several hundred
kilometers to Urumqi to seek Zhou's assistance in
resolving a land dispute with local officials. Zhou
subsequently put the man in touch with the appropriate
departments. Zhou noted that his show is only
conducted in Chinese and said he was uncertain if a
similar Uighur-language program existed.
RANDT