Freedom of Expression
According to a November 21, 2012, Associated Press article, public security officials in Miyun County, Beijing, detained blogger and businessman Zhai Xiaobing on November 7, after he posted a joke on November 5, mocking the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (18th Party Congress). Zhai, who blogs under the user name @stariver, posted a satirical tweet mocking the 18th Party Congress, suggesting that the political event would resemble the "Final Destination" horror film franchise.
In the months leading up to and throughout the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party (18th Party Congress), Chinese censors took bold steps to control online content and limit freedom of expression. International media organizations widely reported heightened sensitivity and increased censorship during the once-in-a-decade turnover of China's leadership, which ushered in the country's fifth generation of leaders.
Transcript (PDF) (Text)
Two years ago, the Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to prominent intellectual and democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.” Today, Liu Xiaobo remains in a Chinese prison serving the fourth year of an 11-year sentence, while authorities hold hi
On December 5, 2012, the Longhua District People's Court in Haikou city, Hainan province, imposed a three-year suspended sentence and a 17,000 yuan (US$2,727) fine on Liu Futang, a retired forestry official and environmentalist, for allegedly engaging in "illegal business activities" (Chinadialogue, 5 December 12; Caixin journalist's blog entry, 11 October 12). Liu's sentencing came nearly two months after his trial on October 11 (Southern Weekend (SW), reprinted in Chinadialogue, 19 October 12).
On October 31, 2012, the Kunming Intermediate People's Court sentenced democracy advocate Cao Haibo to eight years in prison on the charge of "subversion of state power" (Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), 1 November 12). The same article noted the charges related to Cao's discussions of democratic reforms and constitutional rights in an online chat group called "Society to Strengthen China" (Zhenhuahui). According to a November 5, 2012, Human Rights in China (HRIC) article, Cao also created other online chat forums to talk about the Three Principles of the People, a political philosophy created by Sun Yat-sen, a leader of the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and the first provisional president of the Republic of China (1911–1912) who was considered to be the father of modern China. (Encyclopedia Britannica, online).
Congressional-Executive Commission on China | www.cecc.gov
Statement of CECC Chairman Christopher Smith and Cochairman Sherrod Brown on the 23rd Anniversary of the Tiananmen Crackdown
June 5, 2012
As in previous years, some Chinese citizens continued this year to ask Chinese leaders for an investigation into the 1989 protests and a reversal of the "verdict" of these protests as a "counterrevolutionary riot" (China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), 1 June 12). Human Rights in China (HRIC)released on June 1, a statement by the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of parents representing Tiananmen victims, stating that they will not relinquish or change their three demands—"for truth, compensation, and accountability" (HRIC, 31 May 12, English and Chinese). The statement noted that 10 years ago, the Communist Party and the Chinese government verbally acknowledged democracy and human rights were universal human values, and that Premier Wen Jiabao had advocated for reform.
Congressional-Executive Commission on China | www.cecc.gov
CECC Releases Chinese Translation of 2011 Annual Report Executive Summary
May 15, 2012
On March 16, 2012, authorities in Beijing municipality and Guangdong province reportedly began enforcing an earlier-issued requirement that microblog users register their accounts with microblog service providers using their real name and identity information, according to a March 12, 2012, China News article. According to the report, microblog users who fail to comply with the real-name requirement by March 16 will not be able to post or re-post content online. The real name requirement is reportedly tied to earlier pilot microblog regulations introducing this requirement in December 2011. The Commission's research found pilot regulations issued by Beijing in mid-December 2011 and reports of similar regulations issued by Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou municipalities and Shenzhen special economic zone in late December 2011.
On October 19, 2011, the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), an administrative agency that controls the regulation and the distribution of news in print and Internet publications, issued the Several Provisions To Prevent and Guard Against False Reporting (Provisions), which entered into effect on the same day. The Provisions prohibit journalists from using information from the Internet or mobile phones in their reporting that authorities deem "unverified," and the Provisions require that news agencies improve accountability mechanisms to safeguard against "false" reporting. The Provisions also state penalties applicable to journalists and news agencies that publish "false" information that authorities deem to be harmful to national or public interests or that authorities decide may bring about "adverse social impacts."