World Press Freedom Day

Amnesty International's Great Firewall of China will travel to Hobart this weekend, to symbolise the struggle for media freedom in China. World Press Freedom Day is an opportunity to celebrate and evaluate the fundamental right to expression, and Amnesty International calls on the Chinese authorities to end the persecution of journalists.

Amnesty International's Great Firewall of China will travel to Hobart this weekend, to symbolise the struggle for media freedom in China. World Press Freedom Day is an opportunity to celebrate and evaluate the fundamental right to expression, and Amnesty International calls on the Chinese authorities to end the persecution of journalists.

In its bid for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China promised there would be free and unrestricted media access, but journalists continue to be persecuted, bloggers jailed, websites shut down and certain web pages remain censored.

China’s Great Firewall, also known as the Golden Firewall, will be recreated to represent opposition to internet censorship and support for freedom of expression.

The firewall is monitored by between 30,000 and 50,000 'cyber police'. It is enabled by companies such as Yahoo!, Microsoft, Google, Sohu and Baidu.

People can tear down and sign one of the 25,000 action cards, which will be directed to one of five technology companies operating in China.

We are deeply concerned that these companies continue to comply with China's demands and block access to certain websites. They should disclose any policies, laws and online practices which may result in user’s details being provided to authorities.

We are calling on all internet service providers operating in China to publicly support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to privacy. This support should be practically implemented through policies which enable unrestricted internet access.

The firewall was launched in Melbourne on Wednesday 30 April, and will go on a national tour for the next 90 days, visiting every capital city and many regional centres.

The firewall action is part of a global week of action by Amnesty International, to raise awareness about human rights violations in China.