British regulators have revoked CGTN’s landing permit in the United Kingdom.
An NGO director said that China International Television (CGTN) has been granted a license to broadcast in France, but that this will put more pressure on the official Communist Party media.
Peter Dahlin, head of the human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders, said the decision to grant CGTN a license in France was not a decision that was made from the start. The group had complained about CGTN, leading British regulators to revoke CGTN’s landing permit in the UK.
Darling said Monday (March 8), “It’s an automatic process for programs to be added to the satellite, so rather than the French TV regulator approving them, it’s automatic.”
Darling said he considered the development “very positive” because the French media regulator, the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), has said they will keep a close eye on CGTN’s content, a move Darling called “extraordinary.
He said, “The CSA also made it clear that France has very strict rules about what can and cannot be broadcast, so CGTN will be held accountable.” “So I think this is actually a positive development because it puts more pressure on CGTN and CCTV to be more careful about what they broadcast.”
Darling said his goal has been to get the TV regulator to censor the official Communist Party broadcaster to ensure it is in compliance.
“The more attention they get from TV regulators (such as in France), the better,” he said.
Peter Dahlin, head of the human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders, in an online video interview from Spain on March 8, 2021.
More “exciting” developments to come
In 2018 and 2019, Defenders filed a number of complaints with British broadcasting regulator Ofcom on behalf of victims of forced confessions broadcast on CCTV and English-language TV station CGTN.
Ofcom on Monday issued a £100,000 ($138,359) fine to CGTN’s former licensee, Star China Media Limited, for broadcasting footage of a forced confession by British citizen Peter Humphrey in 2013. final rulings on two other forced confession complaints filed by Simon Cheng, a former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong, and Angela Kwai on behalf of her father, Kwai Man Hoi.
Ofcom also issued a £125,000 (US$172,929) fine to CGTN for its partial (biased) coverage of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Ofcom revoked CNTN’s landing permit in the U.K. on Feb. 4 after an investigation into complaints by the Protector that the U.K. regulator believed CGTN was controlled by a political organization, the Chinese Communist Party.
So we have a similar process in Canada; last week, (CCP) CCTV4 and CGTN were taken off the air in Australia, and an investigation is underway into the televising of these forced confessions,” Darling said. We’ve seen some related moves in Germany, and hopefully other countries will do the same.”
Without giving specific details, Darling said, “There are a lot of measures coming up, many of them very exciting.”
Asked whether countries need to push politically for legislation on foreign official broadcasters, Darling said there was no need, but that some of the existing regulations were too outdated to deal with new ways of broadcasting.
Darling said, “It’s true that around the world, existing regulations often date back to the 1970s. And we live in a very different media environment today.”
“You can regulate what CGTN broadcasts on TV, but the same content can be put on social media platforms in the U.K., and that can’t be regulated.”
Darling said there are many ways to get around current regulations and that “we now have to look more holistically at how we combat disinformation, outright lies, bias and fake news.”
Beijing pushed back against Ofcom’s fine and ruling on Tuesday (9).
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference that CGTN “has always upheld the principle of objectivity and impartiality in its reporting” and that China “reserves the right to make further justified and necessary responses,” according to AFP.
Two Weaknesses in the Communications Authority Ruling
Peter William Humphrey (Han Feilong), a (British) consultant who was imprisoned in China for two years, was one of the victims of a forced confession. He said he was “very pleased” with Ofcom’s ruling and fine in the CGTN case against Zheng and Gui.
Peter William Humphrey (Han Feilong), a former journalist and consultant imprisoned in China for two years, was interviewed by New Tang Dynasty TV in the UK. (NTD screenshot)
However, Humphrey said the ruling still has two major weaknesses.
“Unfortunately, the maximum fine for Ofcom is £250,000. Frankly, for this type of crime, I think the fine should have been much larger, it should have been in the millions of dollars.” He said on the 8th.
“The UK has the strongest regulatory framework for television broadcasting, probably the strongest in the world.” He said.
“But, …… I think the existing penalties are too weak and too small.”
Humphrey said the £100,000 fine was a “drop in the bucket” for CGTN, which is funded by “the very deep, very dirty, very bloody pockets of the Chinese Communist Party”.
“So this fine means nothing to CGTN, it’s symbolic. It’s an example of the absolute inadequacy of the punitive measures available to Ofcom.”
Humphrey said another of Ofcom’s “major weaknesses” was that they did not do enough to cite records of human rights abuses.
“These complaints against CGTN and CCTV are the most serious complaints ever submitted because they involve extremely serious and brutal human rights crimes.” Humphrey said.
“I believe that Ofcom, as an independent body with a mandate rooted in human rights law, should actually be more prominent in these complaints from a human rights perspective.” He added.
“But in none of these decisions that I’ve seen in the last year have I seen references to human rights abuses in the language of human rights that these complaints are supposed to be in. This is a major weakness in the way Ofcom conducts its business.”
Asked for his views on CGTN getting a license in France and “regaining a foothold in Europe,” Humphrey said that while this technically means CGTN could broadcast in the UK again, it could be difficult in practice.
Humphrey said the “few companies” that CGTN could approach “would be in an awkward position because they would have to comply with Ofcom rules and UK broadcasting rules”.
“So I have a feeling that it won’t be easy for CGTN to find an operator to broadcast its signal in the UK.”
Simon Cheng, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong. (Courtesy of Simon Cheng)
After Monday’s ruling, Hong Kong-based pro-democracy activist Simon Cheng said it was a “big moment” for him and a “very encouraging sign” for others, after more than a year of waiting.
Cheng told the 8th that the rulings may encourage those whose human rights have been violated to “come forward. He said, “I sincerely hope that justice will finally be done as we courageously call for it.”
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