China Blocks BBC Website

Chinese authorities have blocked access to the website of Britain's national broadcaster, BBC.

The Chinese move comes in the wake of rising tensions between the pro-democracy demonstrators and police in Hong Kong.

Though BBC did not specify what may have impelled China to take such an action, the broadcaster said that the move seemed to be "deliberate censorship".

"The BBC strongly condemns any attempts to restrict free access to news and information and we are protesting to the Chinese authorities. This appears to be deliberate censorship," said Peter Horrocks, director of the BBC World Service Group.

"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," he added, reports Reuters.

China previously blocked BBC for several days in 2010. It was done to deny access to the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony for Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo.

BBC's Chinese-language website has been blocked in China since it was started in 1999, apart from a few months during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

China-based anti-censorship group Greatfire.org said that BBC's English-language website has been partially blocked in the past 90 days. It was completely blocked on Wednesday, it said.

A Chinese official told foreign media in Hong Kong on Wednesday that China has seen intrusions by external forces in the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and has asked international journalists to report objectively.

Early October, a Chinese court issued new rules restricting netizens' freedom on what they can say and do online.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong police used pepper spray again on Thursday to stop pro-democracy protesters from blocking a major road near the government's headquarters amid public anger over police beating a protester on Wednesday.

Public anger over the violent tactics adopted by police on Wednesday erupted after local TV showed officers taking a protester around a dark corner and kicking him repeatedly on the ground.

Protester Ken Tsang said he was kicked by the police while he was in custody and defenseless. He also said that the police assaulted him again in the police station, reports the Associated Press.