French journalist denied credentials, expelled from China following controversial article

• China’s foreign ministry refused to renew the press credentials of Ursula Gauthier, a reporter for the French magazine L’Obs, following a controversial article crticizing China’s anti-terrorism policies in Xinjiang.
• Chinese officials accused her of sympathizing with terrorists and demanded a public apology from her, which lead to the credential revocation when she refused.
• Although China’s domestic press is heavily regulated, foreign press have typically had considerably more freedom to report on controversial topics, with the last foreign reporter expelled in 2012.

Read more:
“Plane carrying expelled French reporter leaves China” (France 24)
“French journalist forced to leave China after article on troubled Xinjiang” (Reuters)
“French media denounce expulsion of straight talking China correspondent” (RFI)

(Image Credit: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)