A European documentary team, which the government had granted permission to report in Tibet, was repeatedly harassed by local authorities during its visit there.
Authorities interrupted two interviews, once because the Tibetan language was used, and once because authorities appeared concerned the interviewee would say something critical about life in Tibet. In some locations, authorities withdrew previously granted permission to film due to “safety” concerns. Authorities also asked the team to erase footage, which the team refused to do.
When the team reached the border with Nepal, an accompanying foreign affairs official from Bejing said if the team did not sign a pledge about how it would use its footage, it would have to return to Lhasa to submit its film to censorship authorities.
The team felt it had no choice but to sign a document saying its reporting material would “never be used to deliberately uglify Tibet and China… (or)… be used to depict any prostitution, environmental, sanitation, and public dissatisfaction problems.”