Chen Qiushi

Chen Qiushi (simplified Chinese: 陈秋实; traditional Chinese: 陳秋實; pinyin: Chén Qiūshí; Mandarin pronunciation: [ʈʂʰə̌n tɕʰjóu.ʂɻ̩̌]; born September 1985[1]) is a Chinese lawyer, activist, and citizen journalist who covered the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests and the COVID-19 pandemic which included criticism of the government response. He was last heard from on 6 February 2020; as of August 2020, his whereabouts were still unknown.[2] The Chinese government reportedly informed Chen's family and friends that he has been detained for the purpose of COVID-19 quarantine. Critics, including media freedom groups, have expressed skepticism about government motives, and have unsuccessfully called on the government to allow outside contact with Chen.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chen.

Chen, Qiushi
BornSeptember 19, 1985
Daxing'anling Prefecture, China
DisappearedFebruary 6, 2020 (aged 34)
Wuhan, China
StatusFound as of September 2020
Alma materHeilongjiang University
OccupationLawyer, journalist

As of September 23, 2020 the South China Morning Post reported that Chen is alive and staying with his parents in the country's east under close surveillance.[3]

Childhood, education and media career

Chen Qiushi was born in September 1985 in Daxing'anling Prefecture, Heilongjiang, China, and studied law at Heilongjiang University, graduating in 2007.[1] After graduating, he moved to Beijing, worked in film, television and media, and performed at bars in his spare time.[1] In 2014 he was the runner up in the Beijing TV reality TV show I am a speaker, where contestants give five-minute speeches to an audience and panel of judges.[4][5] He joined Longan Law firm in 2015, where he specialised in intellectual property, labour law and dispute resolution.[6]

Journalism

Hong Kong protests

After hearing about the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests in state newspapers, Chen traveled there as a private citizen to see for himself.[7] He posted online videos reporting on the protests in Hong Kong against the 2019 extradition bill, where he countered the government's characterization of the protestors as violent rioters.[8] His videos were described by western media observers as determinedly neutral. Also, he attended both pro-Beijing and pro-Hong Kong rallies while refusing to explicitly take a side.[9]

Days after the videos' August 2019 release, he was contacted by Chinese authorities, including the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, his legal association and his employer, and he returned home early. His Sina Weibo account, of 740,000 followers, was deleted along with his other social media. Chen described being questioned, recorded, "criticised and educated" about why going to Hong Kong was wrong.[8][7][9] In early October he began posting on YouTube, blocked for many people in mainland China, stating that since freedom of speech is a right in the Chinese constitution he must continue.[8]

COVID-19

After being blocked from Chinese social media for his reports on the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Chen took to YouTube and Twitter to continue his reporting. Chen began reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic in China, travelling to Hankou, Wuhan, on 23[10] or 24[11] January 2020, where he interviewed the locals and visited various hospitals including Huoshenshan Hospital, which was still under construction at the time. According to Chen, doctors were overworked and there were insufficient medical supplies, but prices of goods were otherwise stable.[11] Chen published a video on 30 January showing the crowding in Wuhan hospitals, with many people lying in corridors. Unlike state media reporters who had hazmat suits, Chen appeared to have only goggles and a face mask to protect himself.[10] Chen stated,

I am afraid. In front of me is disease. Behind me is China's legal and administrative power. But as long as I am alive I will speak about what I have seen and what I have heard. I am not afraid of dying. Why should I be afraid of you, Communist Party?

— Chen Qiushi, 30 January 2020[10]

By early February 2020, while reporting about the coronavirus outbreak, Chen had 433,000 YouTube subscribers and 246,000 Twitter followers.[12] Chen's supporters accused the Chinese government of censorship of the coronavirus outbreak. According to The Guardian, many pro-Chen comments on Sina Weibo were censored.[10] Around 4 February, in the last video posted by Chen before his subsequent disappearance, Chen interviewed Wuhan resident "A Ming". A Ming stated his father had probably contracted coronavirus during a health check-up in the beginning of January, when there were no safety precautions; A Ming's father had subsequently died from the virus. During the video Chen stated "many people are worried I will be detained".

Journalist Linda Lew, writing in South China Morning Post, later judged that Chen was one of the most high-profile citizen journalists covering the coronavirus outbreak. She also stated that Chen's reporting contrasted with Caixin and Sanlian Lifeweek, which have "lines they cannot cross", and that Chen's reporting contrasted even more strongly with the "official line" of state-controlled media.[13]

February 2020 disappearance

Chen disappeared on 6 February 2020, at some point after informing his family of an intention to report on a temporary hospital.[14] His friends were unable to contact him after 7 pm UTC+8 on 6 February.[15] His mother, and friend Xu Xiaodong, have both stated that on 7 February, they received news from authorities that Chen had been detained at an undeclared time and place and held in an unknown location for the purpose of quarantine.[16]

Amnesty International's Patrick Poon said around 14 February 2020 that it was still unknown whether Chen (and another citizen journalist, Fang Bin) had been arrested or placed under "forced quarantine". Poon called on China to inform their families and provide access to a lawyer, stating: "Otherwise, it's a legitimate concern that they are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment."[17] A Human Rights Watch representative stated the Chinese government "has a history of harassing and detaining citizens for speaking the truth or for criticizing the authorities during public emergencies, for example, during SARS in 2003, Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, Wenzhou train crash in 2011 and Tianjin chemical explosion in 2015."[17] Around March 2020 it was reported that Li Zehua, a citizen journalist in part inspired by Chen, had also disappeared.[18][19] The One Free Press Coalition included Chen in both its March 2020 and April 2020 lists of the ten "most urgent" cases.[20][14] The Committee to Protect Journalists has also called for Chen's release.[21]

On 23 March, the Chinese Ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, stated he'd never heard of Chen.[22] In early April, Republican lawmakers in the U.S. called for an inquiry into the Chinese government's behaviour, including the disappearances of Fang Bin, Chen Qiushi, and Li Zehua, saying "(The Chinese authorities) lied to the world about the human-to-human transmission of the virus, silenced doctors and journalists who tried to report the truth, and are now apparently hiding the accurate number of people impacted by this disease."[23]

Li Zehua resurfaced in April 2020, stating he had been released on 28 March from a quarantine. The Guardian noted that the video had a calmer and more patriotic tone than previous ones.[24][25]

In September his friend Xu Xiaodong claimed he is in "good health but under government supervision". A human right lawyer stated he's been moved to Qingdao, where his parents live.[26]

See also

References
  1. 张新婷, ed. (22 October 2014). ""我是演说家"东北小伙陈秋实讲《大东北》解密"你瞅啥"" ["I am a speaker" Northeast guy Chen Qiushi explained "Great Northeast" decrypt "What are you looking at"]. Liaoning Wanbao 辽沈晚报 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  2. Gilbert, David (6 May 2020). "A Chinese Citizen Journalist Disappeared 3 Months Ago. His Parents Still Don't Know If He's Alive—and Are Afraid to Speak Out". Vice. Archived from the original on 1 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  3. "Missing Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi with parents under close watch". ca.finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  4. 者袁孜学 (20 March 2015). ""我是演说家"亚军陈秋实赴长春高校演讲" ["I am a speaker" runner-up Chen Qiushi went to Changchun University to give a speech] (in Chinese). 新文化报. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. Tho Xin Yi (25 January 2015). "M'sian finalist Gu clinches third place in reality TV series". The Star. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. "Chen Qiushi". Longan Law. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. Qin, Chen (21 August 2019). "Unhappy with state media, Chinese lawyer reports from Hong Kong himself". Inkstone. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. Gan, Nectar (16 October 2019). "Chinese lawyer Chen Qiushi, censured over Hong Kong social media posts, vows to keep speaking out". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  9. Jiayang Fan (29 February 2020). "Mr. Chen Goes to Wuhan". This American Life (radio) (Podcast). Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  10. Kuo, Lily; Yang, Lillian (10 February 2020). "Coronavirus: journalist missing in Wuhan as anger towards Chinese authorities grows". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  11. Li, Jane (6 February 2020). "Wuhan virus: Chinese citizen journalist reports from quarantine zone". Quartz. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  12. Gan, Nectar; Thomas, Natalie (9 February 2020). "He spoke out about the Wuhan virus. Now his family and friends fear he's been silenced". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  13. Lew, Linda (15 February 2020). "Missing citizen journalists highlight coronavirus reporting risks". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  14. Time Staff (1 April 2020). "These Are the 10 'Most Urgent' Threats to Press Freedom Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic". Time. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  15. Chen, Lulu Yilun (7 February 2020). "Citizen Journalist Covering Virus Outbreak From Wuhan Goes Missing". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  16. Thomas, Natalie; Culver, David (8 February 2020). "Citizen journalist covering coronavirus forcibly quarantined by government in Wuhan, say friends". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  17. BBC Staff (14 February 2020). "Why have two reporters in Wuhan disappeared?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  18. Kuo, Lily (1 March 2020). "'They're chasing me': the journalist who wouldn't stay quiet on Covid-19". The Observer. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. "我正在被搜查！！！我正在被搜查！！！". YouTube. 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  20. Time Staff (2 March 2020). "Here Are the 10 'Most Urgent' Threats to Press Freedom Around the World". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  21. Li, Jane (12 February 2020). "Another citizen journalist covering the coronavirus has gone missing in Wuhan". Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  22. "Ambassador Cui Tiankai taking an interview with AXIOS and HBO (Transcript)". Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  23. Kuo, Lily (2 April 2020). "'On the light side': Trump casts doubt on China's coronavirus figures". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  24. "Missing citizen journalist Li Zehua back online after 'quarantine'". South China Morning Post. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 1 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  25. Kuo, Lily (22 April 2020). "Missing Wuhan citizen journalist reappears after two months". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  26. "Missing Chinese journalist 'under state supervision'". 24 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
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