Freedom of Expression
The Lawyer for the recently freed editor of the Southern Metropolitan Daily will now focus his efforts on winning an appeal by executive Yu Huafeng, currently serving 8 years in the same case. Zhang Xingshui attributes Cheng Yizhong's release to a procuratorial finding of insufficient evidence prompted by intervention of a "higher official."
According to a report in the official People's Daily, since January Chinese authorities have shut down over 600 "reporter stations" pursuant to the "Notice Regarding Launching the Work of Straightening Out and Rectifying Report Stations." In accordance with the Notice (issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication on January 8), authorities have been closing down offices that newspaper publishers have used to station reporters outside of the jurisdiction where the newspaper is licensed to operate.
The following is a partial translation prepared by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China of the "Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Publishing" jointly issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication and the Ministry of Information Industry on August 1, 2002. The Chinese text was retrieved from the People's Daily Web site on March 7, 2006.