China denies visa to Megha Rajagopalan |
China has refused to renew the journalist visa for an Indian American correspondent for BuzzFeed News in what appears to be punishment for her reporting on topics considered sensitive by the authorities. Megha Rajagopalan tweeted Aug. 22 that the foreign ministry declined to issue her a new visa in May. She said the ministry indicated it was a procedural issue and that it was unclear why. Asked about Rajagopalan’s case, the ministry responded with a statement saying only that it handled such matters “according to laws and regulations.” During her six years in China, Rajagopalan had reported extensively on human rights abuses and the plight of China’s Uighur Muslim minority, among other subjects. China’s government sometimes delays or refuses to issue or renew visas for journalists if it is displeased with their reporting, their media outlets, or both. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China said it found Rajagopalan’s treatment “extremely regrettable and unacceptable for a government that repeatedly insists it welcomes foreign media to cover the country.”
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