Government Shuts Down Web Site; Chinese Scholars and Activists Respond

September 5, 2006

The Beijing Communications Administration (BCA) shut down the "Century China" Web site on July 26, according to a statement (in Chinese, via Boxun) issued by the Web site's operators. The operators said they received a notice (reprinted on Boxun's Web site) from the BCA on July 25 that ordered them to shut down the Web site immediately.

The Beijing Communications Administration (BCA) shut down the "Century China" Web site on July 26, according to a statement (in Chinese, via Boxun) issued by the Web site's operators. The operators said they received a notice (reprinted on Boxun's Web site) from the BCA on July 25 that ordered them to shut down the Web site immediately. "Century China," founded in 2000, was a popular Internet discussion forum for commentary on political, historical, and cultural issues, according to an August 1 South China Morning Post (SCMP) article (subscription required). The BCA's notice alleged that "Century China" was providing news illegally on its Web site without a license, in violation of the Provisions on the Administration of Internet News Information Services (Provisions) and the Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services.

On August 2, 103 writers, scholars, journalists, and other activists in China and overseas issued a statement (in Chinese, via China Human Rights Defenders) condemning the shutdown:

People cannot stop expressing their thoughts. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press, whether in traditional or Internet media, are internationally recognized human rights. Governments have no right to interfere with, or restrict, the media's ability to report the news. Therefore, such systems of suppression violate international norms, the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Chinese Constitution.

The statement also said the shutdown violated Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution, which states that Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Among the statement's signers were Independent Chinese PEN Center president Liu Xiaobo, activist and retired Beijing University professor Ding Zilin, and Zhejiang journalist Zan Aizong.

The operators of "Century China" criticized authorities for not clearly indicating what part of the Web site's operations or sections constituted the offering of news information services. "This action, which showed no restraint and did not provide an opportunity for challenge or defense . . . runs counter to the spirit of the rule of law found in modern civilized societies," they said. The operators said the Web site had never offered news content and that they had consulted with authorities in the past to make sure it complied with the law.

The Ministry of Information Industry (MII) and the State Council Information Office (SCIO) promulgated the Provisions in September 2005 to tighten the government's control over Internet news services. The Provisions prohibit the use of the Internet to post or transmit news reports or commentary relating to politics and economics, or military, foreign, and public affairs without a government license. The Chinese government has relied on the Provisions to shut down other Web sites. In March 2006, several groups representing Web sites that had been shut down petitioned the Chinese government to review the constitutionality and legal validity of the Provisions, arguing that it violated the freedoms of speech and the press granted under the Chinese Constitution and that the SCIO lacked the authority to license news Web sites.

The Chinese government has shut down Web sites and blogs in addition to "Century China" during 2006. Authorities shut down the "Polls" Web site in August and revoked its license after the Web site posted a poll asking visitors whether the General Secretary of the Communist Party should be chosen from among several candidates in differential voting, according to an August 3 Reporters Without Borders article. Authorities also shut down two blogs maintained by the popular Tibetan poet and writer Oezer (Woeser or Weise) in July, a move Oezer said was in response to her posting a photograph of the Dalai Lama on one of her blogs, according to an August 1 Radio Free Asia report.

The shutdowns are the latest in a series of Chinese government efforts in 2006 to censor information on the Internet:

  • On June 28, Cai Wu, Director of the SCIO, said at a meeting that "as more and more illegal and unhealthy information are spread through blogs and search engines, we will take effective measures to put forums, blogs, and search engines under control," according to a June 29 Xinhua article (English, Chinese).
  • In June, authorities shut down two of China's major Internet portals, Sina.com and Sohu.com, for several days to allow the Internet portals to upgrade their censorship capabilities. The move came after authorities found that the Internet portals failed to filter certain key words deemed politically harmful, according to a June 20 SCMP article (subscription required).
  • On February 21, the MII launched a project titled the "Sunshine and Green Internet Project" to "purify" the Internet and mobile communications network environments through a series of measures to be undertaken within a year, according to the June 29 Xinhua article.