BBC journalist beaten, held amid huge China stir: ‘Got no apology…’

A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist was assaulted and detained while covering a protest in China’s Shanghai, the news broadcasting network said on Sunday.

Cameraman Edward Lawrence was handcuffed and held for several hours before being released, it stated, adding he was subjected to beatings by the Chinese police during his detention. “The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai,” news agency Reuters quoted a spokesperson for the British public service broadcaster.

“He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist,” the spokesperson added.

Shanghai is among many Chinese cities seeing protests over stringent Covid restrictions. The protests flared up over the weekend following a deadly fire in Xinjiang, in which virus controls were blamed for hampering rescue efforts.

The BBC said they had not been given a credible explanation or apology for Lawrence’s detention. “We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught COVID from the crowd,” the BBC said.

Reports also spoke of footage circulating on social media showing a man — being identified as Lawrence — arrested by men in police uniforms. Hindustan Times could neither verify the authenticity of the video nor the claim.