China has blocked every access to the BBC’s English-language website across the country on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, the corporation has reported.
Peter Horrocks, BBC Global News director stated that the said the act was a “deliberate censorship”, adding that the BBC was complaining to the Chinese authorities.
The blackout has only affected BBC as major news websites are reported to be functioning as usual, citing that the basis for the blackout is still unclear.
BBC’s English-language site has been in existence in China for over six years, since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, although there is history of other BBC services including its Chinese-language news website being blocked on few occasions.
Horrocks also stated that BBC world, as with all overseas broadcasters, usually suffer intermittent blackouts particularly when reporting China stories.
He said: “The BBC provides impartial, trusted news to millions of people around the world, and attempts to censor our news services show just how important it is to get our accurate information to them.”
The last time that the BBC recorded similar case of blackout, was in April 2012, during the corporation’s coverage of activist Chen Guangcheng’s escape from house arrest.
