Video blogger arrested in Beijing

Friend of Frontline, Brian Conley has been arrested in Beijing. Brian is the brains behind the Alive in Baghdad blog and has helped us promote the Frontline Club live video channel. In an email his wife Eowyn tells us Brian was among 6 people recently arrested in Beijing, China while traveling to cover pro-Tibet demonstrations,

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.

The International Herald Tribune has more.
UPDATE: The protesters have now been released. Brian tweets that he’s out of prison and in Los Angeles enjoying a Starbucks…