Public Security and Censorship Agencies Shut Down Two Political Web Sites

Radio Free Asia reports that Internet service providers have shut down two well-known political Web sites in China on orders from Chinese public security authorities. The story, a transcript of which is available on Boxun, reported that the "Public Opinion Supervision Net" (yuluncn.com) was shut down on June 16, and the "Democracy and Freedom Web" was shut down on May 22.

According to the report, the hosting service for the Democracy and Freedom Web told the Web site's operator that a public security official had ordered them to shut it down because it had "illegal content." RFA reported that the hosting service for the Public Opinion Supervision Net told its operator that the Beijing branch of the State Council Information Office had told them to shut it down.

In August 2004 Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported that Chinese authorities had "shut down and interfered with" the China Public Opinion Supervision Net three times since its establishment in October 2003. According to the RFA report, this is the 44th time Chinese authorities have shut down the Democracy and Freedom Web.

The Chinese government is currently involved in a campaign to shut down all private Web sites that fail to register with, and disclose the nature of their contents to, the Ministry of Information Industry and public security authorities.