Internet: December 2008 Archives

By Edward Wong | THE NEW YORK TIMES
December 23, 2008

More than 160 prominent writers, scholars and human rights advocates outside mainland China have signed an open letter to President Hu Jintao asking him to release a well-known intellectual and dissident who was detained this month. The letter was posted on the Internet on Tuesday.

The letter to Mr. Hu indicates that the case of the intellectual, Liu Xiaobo -- one of the driving forces behind a bold manifesto demanding democratic reforms that has received worldwide attention -- is quickly turning into the latest human rights cause célèbre in China. The call for his release could embarrass the Communist Party at a time when Chinese leaders are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the policy of "reform and opening up."

Among the writers signing the letter are three Nobel laureates in literature -- the South African novelist Nadime Gordimer, the Irish poet Seamus Heaney and the Nigerian novelist Wole Soyinka -- as well as other writers who regularly champion freedom of expression, including the Italian novelist Umberto Eco and Salman Rushdie.

Just as notable is the fact that an array of foreign China scholars also signed the petition, possibly risking their access to the country. Academics specializing in Chinese studies are often cautious about taking stands on political issues deemed sensitive by the Communist Party because the Chinese government has a track record of denying visas to people who publicly oppose the party's views. Some of the scholars who signed the petition are already on the Chinese government's blacklist, but others still have regular access to the country.

The scholars include Geremie R. Barmé of Australian National University; Richard Baum of the University of California, Los Angeles; and Andrew J. Nathan of Columbia University.

Prominent scholars in Hong Kong, which is controlled by China but enjoys greater freedoms than the mainland, also signed the letter.

Mr. Liu, a 53-year-old literary critic who has directed the Independent Chinese PEN Center, a group of writers who advocate for broader free speech, was taken by security officers from his home on the night of Dec. 8 and has not been heard from since.

Human rights advocates say that Mr. Liu has been made a target because he was one of the driving forces behind Charter 08, the recent manifesto demanding democratic reforms and accountability from the Communist Party that was signed by more than 300 Chinese from various backgrounds and recently posted on the Internet.

Other people who signed the manifesto have also been detained and questioned by the authorities. All except Mr. Liu have been released.

The officers who detained Mr. Liu took computers, mobile phones and personal papers from his home. His wife and other family members have received no word of his whereabouts or condition.

The open letter to Mr. Hu that was posted on Tuesday says: "For the international community to take seriously China's oft-stated commitment to respect human rights and the rule of law, and for China's own citizens to trust the judicial system to redress legitimate grievances, it is urgent that China's central leadership ensure that no one be arrested or harassed simply for the peaceful expression of his or her views."

The letter notes that although Mr. Liu was detained in the past for several years, he has never been convicted of any crime.

Mr. Baum, the political scientist at the University of California, helped bring the petition to prominence by circulating it on Chinapol, a Listserv managed by Mr. Baum that is read by many scholars of China. In an interview via e-mail, Mr. Baum said that he usually tried to avoid using the Listserv for political causes but that this case was different.

"While I have always tried to maintain Chinapol's political neutrality, some violations are so egregious that I cannot, as a sentient being, remain neutral," he said in an e-mail message.

Bruce Jacobs, a professor of Asian languages and studies at Monash University in Australia, said he signed the petition because "Liu was clearly arrested because of Charter 08."

"That concerned me," he said, "I've been very concerned with human rights in China for a long time, and recently it's gotten worse."

Mr. Liu has been a pillar of political dissent in China for years. He supported the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and continued his dissident writings afterward, work that led to his detention by the authorities. Starting in 1996, he spent three years doing hard labor for having "repeatedly stirred up trouble and disrupted public order." Since 1999, he has been allowed to continue his activism, presumably with the permission of the country's leaders, but has been under surveillance.

Nicholas Bequelin, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch, said that if Mr. Liu is formally arrested and charged, then that would mean Chinese leaders want to show intellectuals that the Communist Party is hardening its line and unwilling to tolerate any dissent.

"He's been detained before," Mr. Bequelin said. "But if they send him to jail, that sends a political signal."

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By Jason Mick | DAILYTECH.COM
December 18, 2008

Just when you thought China had softened on web crack-downs, it returns to its old ways

China has not exactly been known for its great freedom of speech.  Its citizens' internet access is tightly controlled by a vast firewall - a digital Great Wall of sorts.  Those that voice their dissent on the internet are swiftly arrested.

However, with its bid for the summer Olympics on the line, China made promises to the international community that it would change.  After winning the right to host the Summer 2008 games it indeed began to quietly unblock American websites, make good on promises to allow its guest unrestricted access to the web.

With the glow of the Olympics fading, though, China has already begun to turn its back on its promises to support a free internet, slamming the door shut once again.  Reporters in China have found that China has begun re-blocking foreign news websites, including the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) and Voice of America, along with the Hong Kong-based media Ming Pao and Asiaweek.

Reporters Without Borders slammed China's behavior in a statement, saying, "Right now, the authorities are gradually rolling back all the progress made in the run-up to this summer's Olympic games, when even foreign Web sites in Mandarin were made accessible. The pretense of liberalization is now over."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao defended his country's decision this week, saying that foreign news agencies have broken Chinese laws.  Among their alleged offenses was calling Taiwan a nation, a crime in China.

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By REUTERS | via UNCENSORED Yahoo! News
December 16, 2008

China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday the country was within its rights to block websites with content illegal under Chinese law, including websites that referred to China and Taiwan as two separate countries.

China regularly blocks sites it finds unsavory, particularly those related to Tibet or critical of the Communist Party.

It considers self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Access to the Chinese-language versions of the BBC, Voice of America and Hong Kong media Ming Pao News and Asiaweek has been blocked since early December, according to a report by Asiaweek this week. They remained blocked on Tuesday.

"We can't deny that some websites continue to have problems that violate Chinese law," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

"For instance, if a website refers to 'two Chinas' or refers to mainland China and Taiwan as two independent regions, we believe that violates China's Anti-Seccession Law, as well as other laws," he said.

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