The UN has contradicted its charter and infringed on freedom of the press by asking two Taiwanese correspondents covering the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, to present a Chinese passport when applying for interview permits, the Association of Taiwan Journalists said yesterday.
With the 77th WHA beginning on Saturday, the Central News Agency’s Brussels correspondent Tien Si-ru (田習如) and Paris correspondent Judy Tseng (曾婷瑄) followed the same procedures as they did last year to apply for interview permits at the UN office in Geneva, the association said.
As the online application form does not list Taiwan or the Republic of China under the options for nationality, Tien and Tseng chose Thailand and Tuvalu respectively, and wrote in the comment section that they are from Taiwan (Republic of China), the association said.
Photo: Reuters
Last year, the two journalists’ interview permit applications were approved ahead of the WHA, but UN staff refused to issue them when Tien and Tseng went to collect them at the UN office in Geneva, saying that they were under pressure from China, the association said, citing Tien.
This year, the two received replies from the media credential review committee on May 9 and May 10, asking them to provide “an official Chinese passport that complies with UN policies and guidance for the UN General Assembly resolutions,” it said.
Tien said that she responded by sending a copy of her Taiwanese passport and other supporting documents, and has not heard from the committee since, it said.
“The UN knows very well the relations between Taiwan and China, but it still insisted that the two journalists present Chinese passports that they could not possibly have. This is the same as rejecting requests from Taiwanese news media to cover the WHA meeting,” the association said.
This unreasonable request contradicts the purpose of the UN stated in Article 1 of the UN Charter, which states that it was established to promote and encourage “respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,” the association said, adding that the UN was infringing on freedom of the press, freedom of speech and other universal values.
“We call on the UN to stop being interfered with by China and issue formal interview permits to journalists affiliated with Taiwanese media to facilitate reporting on important international conferences such as the World Health Assembly, achieve the purpose of news dissemination, ensure the full flow of information and satisfy the public’s right to know,” the association said.
The International Federation of Journalists also issued a statement in support of the association.
“Events like the World Health Assembly hold significant importance to people in all countries, and it is the responsibility of the UN and other presiding authorities to ensure that the media can conduct its duties without interference from special interests,” the federation said. “The UN and its affiliate organizations must fulfill its commitments to press freedom.”
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