The Voice of America said Tuesday (Aug. 14) that Mandarin Service Beijing correspondent Yibing Feng and Ai Lun, Feng’s cameraman and assistant, have been released by Chinese authorities after being detained and interrogated.
“While we’re glad our reporters have been set free, it is outrageous that they were detained in the first place — simply for doing their jobs,” said VOA Director Amanda Bennett, who had called for their release Monday.
According to VOA, the two were detained in Jinan, Shandong province during an interview with Chinese dissident Professor Wenguang Sun, who was himself detained during a live phone interview with VOA two weeks ago, though subsequently released.
Feng was trying to finish the interview with Professor Sun on Aug. 13. Sun was speaking from behind a closed door to Feng in a hallway when uniformed police ordered Feng to leave the building and followed him out to the street, subsequently detaining him.
