Freedom of Expression
Foreign Reporters Curbed; Social Media Comments Censored
In early September 2013, PEN International (PEN), an international organization of writers, reported that Chinese authorities released journalist and democracy advocate Shi Tao from prison on August 23, after he served less than 9 years of a 10-year prison sentence (New York Times (NYT), 7 September 13).
Cyber attacks from China have become a key point of contention between the United States and China. Both sides recently agreed to form a working group and hold regular talks on cybersecurity and industrial espionage, and the issue will feature prominently during President Obama and President Xi Jinping's upcoming summit in California. This hearing will examine the impact of Chinese cyber attacks on Chinese activists and human rights organizations as well as on American businesses and industries harmed by intellectual property theft.
This hearing was webcast live.
Zhu's Health is Critical, Officials Deny Him Medical Treatment
On February 27, 2013, the International Committee for Liu Xiaobo, a committee comprised of 6 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and 15 non-governmental organizations, led a petition campaign to deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures to Chinese Embassies and authorities, calling for the immediate release of imprisoned Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia. South African Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu created the initial online petition (available here on Change.org) and wrote a letter, signed by 134 fellow Nobel laureates, to China's then incoming President Xi Jinping in December 2012, in response to the ongoing imprisonment of Liu Xiaobo and the illegal "house arrest" of Liu Xia.