Skip to content

VOA: China’s New State Secret Law Detrimental to Health of Reporters

On April 29, The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted a new People’s Republic of China law concerning guarding "State Secrets." The law will be in effect beginning October 1, 2010.

VOA quoted expert opinions that this law will further suppress reporting activities by reporters or any other person that might publish information that the government wants to keep secret, regardless of whether the information contains state secrets or not. Classifying information as a state secret after its published will allow the Chinese regime to imprison reporters without a legal process. This may also force the media and websites to monitor netizens’ postings and encourage informers to come forward.

China is the number one country in detaining reporters and imprisons the greatest number of reporters.

Source: VOA, May 6, 2010
http://www1.voanews.com/chinese/news/-20100506-CHINA-NEW-STATE-SECRETS-LAW-LEAVES-JOURNALISTS-EXPOSED-92961114.html