BEIJING: The European Union has urged China to release all journalists and citizens held in connection with their reporting, following the detention of a Bloomberg News employee.
Haze Fan, a Chinese citizen, was taken from her home by plain-clothes security officials last Monday, Bloomberg said, and Beijing said she had been detained on suspicion of endangering national security.
“All those arrested and detained in connection with their reporting activity should be immediately released,” an EU spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.
The statement mentioned that “other Chinese journalists or citizens have disappeared this year, or been detained or harassed after engaging in reporting.”
“We expect the Chinese authorities to grant her (Fan) medical assistance if needed, prompt access to a lawyer of her choice, and contacts with her family,” it added.
The Chinese foreign ministry said earlier that Fan’s case was under investigation.
Bloomberg said it was “very concerned for her” and was continuing to seek more information.
Chinese citizens are forbidden by the government from working as reporters for foreign news organizations in China, but are allowed to work as news assistants.
Fan, who joined Bloomberg in 2017, has been credited as a contributor on numerous business stories.
Her detention comes months after China held a high-profile Chinese-born Australian journalist, citing similar suspicions.
Cheng Lei, a TV anchor at Chinese state-owned outlet CGTN, has not been seen in public since being held.
Two other Australian reporters — Bill Birtles and Michael Smith — fled China shortly after being interrogated about Cheng.
EU urges China to free those detained for reporting after Bloomberg employee held
https://arab.news/4qqwv
EU urges China to free those detained for reporting after Bloomberg employee held
- “All those arrested and detained in connection with their reporting activity should be immediately released,” the EU said
- Haze Fan, a Chinese citizen, was taken from her home by plain-clothes security officials last Monday
Book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti set for November release
- Prison letters, photographs and other documents to feature in the book
DUBAI: A new book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti is set for publication in November, with Penguin confirmed as the publisher, The Guardian reported.
Titled “Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine,” the book brings together a selection of Barghouti’s writings, including prison letters, interviews, public statements, conversations with public figures, and other documents and photographs.
It also features excerpts from his book “1,000 Days in Solitary Confinement,” which has so far only been published in Arabic.
Fadwa Barghouti, who wrote the introduction to the book, said she hoped it would allow the world to hear her husband “in his own voice, not through the noise surrounding him.”
She said in a statement: “This book finally makes that possible — and I hope it helps people understand who Marwan Barghouti truly is, and how he embodies the Palestinian struggle for freedom and dignity.”
Barghouti, who has spent over two decades in Israeli prison, is a member of the Fatah party. He has long advocated a two-state solution and is widely regarded as a powerful and unifying voice for Palestinians, with many supporters describing him as “Palestine’s Mandela.”
His detention has prompted repeated international advocacy efforts over the years.
In December 2025, an open letter calling for his release was signed by hundreds of celebrities, including Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Zadie Smith and Annie Ernaux; actors Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor, Mark Ruffalo and Stephen Fry; and musicians Sting, Paul Simon, Brian Eno and Annie Lennox.
In November 2025, his family and several UK-based human rights advocates ran a campaign that included demonstrations and public art installations in Palestine and London.
Barghouti has been jailed by Israel since 2004, having been handed five life sentences plus 40 years for his role during the second Palestinian uprising. He has spent significant time in solitary confinement, has been denied visits by his family for three years, and has been denied access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
His name was on a list of prisoners to be exchanged for Israeli captives in October 2025, but Israel declined to release him.
