Videoblogger Brian Conley, detained with 5 others in Beijing

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Wednesday August 27, 2008 02:55 by Statement by Eowyn Rieke, wife of Brian Conley - Alive in Baghdad www.aliveinbaghdad.org

2 remain detained

Longtime Indymedia activist detained in Beijing for journalism

August 22, 2008 12:44PM EDT [general.addtranslation] Download Article (PDF) [ insert language bar ]

Videoblogger Brian Conley, detained with 5 others in Beijing

Statement by Eowyn Rieke, wife of Brian Conley

By Eowyn Rieke

Statement by Eowyn Rieke, wife of Brian Conley. Brian Conley had been involved with Indymedia for many years, including working on some collaborative Indymedia video projects. He has worked on media and human rights issues in the United States, the Middle East, and Latin America (particularly in Mexico).

Keywords: National, Human Rights, Media,
Statement from Eowyn Rieke:

My husband, Brian Conley, has dedicated his life to helping oppressed people communicate their struggles to the world. Since 2004 he has worked on the video blog Alive in Baghdad which produces and distributes weekly video segments about daily life in Iraq and the impact of the war.

Brian went to China to document pro-Tibet protests taking place concurrent with the Olympics. He was not participating in political actions, only documenting them as any journalist would. On August 19, 2008, he was arrested by Chinese authorities for this work, along with 5 others working with Students for a Free Tibet, Jeff Rae (who also works with Alive in Baghdad), James Powderly, Jeff Goldin, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant. Under China's repressive government it is illegal to record expressions of free speech and work as a journalist without state supervision.

This situation is only one of many examples of the Chinese government's repression of free speech and activists for Tibet. In most cases the repression is much more severe, ranging from torture to indefinite detention to summary execution. In the last few months over 400 people have been killed in Tibet for their political activities.

Brian would be uncomfortable with the attention being paid to his situation. He would want us to focus on the people around the world who are truly struggling – as a result of war, global economics, racism, imperialism and other injustices.

But we also want Brian home, along with the 5 people detained with him. He and are I starting a family, and are looking forward to the birth of our first child in October. Although I am now 31 weeks pregnant, Brian went to China with my full support. We decided together that we cannot stand aside while people are tortured, detained and killed because they want a better life for themselves and their children.

For more information about the detention of Brian Conley and 5 others in Beijing, please see www.freetibet2008.org . Please consider donating money to Students for a Free Tibet to support their work. To get regular updates about Brian's situation or to arrange an interview with me (Eowyn Rieke, Brian's wife), please email [email protected]

By Eowyn Rieke
[email protected]