BBC correspondent leaves China amid safety concerns
A veteran BBC correspondent whose coverage angered China has left the country amid concerns for his safety, BBC and a journalist organization said. The BBC said on Wednesday that John Sudworth relocated to Taiwan and would continue to be the British broadcaster's China correspondent. The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said, "Sudworth had left last week amid concerns for his and his family's safety."
'He exposed truths Chinese authorities didn't want anyone to know'
The organization said that Sudworth's wife, Yvonne Murray, a correspondent for Irish broadcaster RTE, had left with him. "John's work has exposed truths the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know," the BBC said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Sudworth reported from China for nine years
The BBC and Sudworth declined to further comment on this matter. Notably, Sudworth has reported from China for nine years. He won a George Polk Award last year for his reporting on internment camps for Muslims in the Xinjiang region. China says the camps were vocational training centers and denies any kind of abuse.
Chinese state officials have accused BBC of deliberate misinformation
China has held a series of news conferences to refute reports of human rights violations in Xinjiang by the BBC and other foreign media. Chinese state media and officials have accused the British broadcaster of deliberate misinformation. "Sudworth left after months of personal attacks and disinformation targeting him and his BBC colleagues," the Foreign Correspondents' Club said.
Pressure on foreign journalists working in China increasing
These included videos posted online by state media that named him and used his footage obtained from Chinese police cameras. Pressure on foreign journalists working in China has increased. China expelled 18 journalists working for The NYT, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post in 2020. Most were in response to US moves to force Chinese state media to reduce staff in America.
