Bao Dinling and Li Sidi, wife and daughter of Li Changqing, who was released in February after serving a three year prison sentence, were briefly detained and questioned at Beijing Airport by police who confiscated their passports.

"This is a scandalous new abuse of power by the Chinese authorities", said Timothy Balding, CEO of the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers, which has awarded its 2008 Golden Pen of Freedom to Mr Li. "Not content with repressing free information and locking up dozens of reporters, they have to persecute and restrict the movement of their families".

Mr Li is due to be awarded the Golden Pen at the opening ceremonies of the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum, in the presence of 1,800 newspaper publishers, chief editors and other media executives. Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, ambassadors from dozens of countries and other dignitaries are also scheduled to attend.

Mr Li, a reporter and deputy news director of the Fuzhou Daily in Fujian Province, was unable to get a passport to travel.

Ms Bao was scheduled to accept the award on behalf of her husband, who was released from prison in February after serving a three-year sentence for “fabricating and spreading false information” after he disclosed an outbreak of dengue fever before the health officials in his home town alerted the public.

The Chinese authorities have also ordered a boycott of the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum, the global meetings of the world’s press, by Chinese media representatives.

WAN called on Chinese authorities to respect the right of Mr Li’s family to travel to Sweden, and to stop harassing and jailing journalists for doing their jobs.

WAN has been waging a campaign to hold China to its promises of reform ahead of the Olympics Games. China has not honoured its commitments; in fact, the Chinese government has increased its repression of free expression and press freedom, and continues to imprison and harass those who dare speak openly as the opening of the Games fast approaches. Over 30 journalists and more than 50 cyber reporters are imprisoned in China, the world’s largest jailers of journalists.

More on the Mr Li and the Golden Pen of Freedom can be found here.

More on WAN’s China Olympics campaign can be found here.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.