From Toutingditai blog, translated by CDT’s Lucy Lin:
Since its release on December 9, 2008, Charter 08 has already obtained over 7,000 signatures in support from people of all levels and places in society, including the celebrated Beijing University Law School Professor He Weifang. Even Zhu Suren, the brother of the Dean of Peking University Law School Zhu Suli, has signed the charter.
However, the Peking University Law School acted in opposition to these requests for a constitutional government as it distributed a notice requiring students “to firmly resist and stay away from these actions, to maintain a clear state of mind, to not blindly conform and follow the actions of the crowd, and to not distribute harmful information through various news media or other communication channels.” The following includes the details of the notice:
Dear students:
Hello!
This morning at 9:30 A.M., the school party committee, Youth League committee, and student work office gathered for an emergency meeting about the “Charter 08.” They have conveyed the related spirit from the Central Committee and raised the following requirements for the students at the institution:
1. Students should be clear about what is really at stake here: anti-party, anti-socialist activity [Charter 08].
2. As party members, students should affirm the party’s leadership and firmly boycott and stay away from these actions and maintain a clear state of mind. They should not blindly conform and follow the actions of the crowd, nor should they distribute harmful information through various news media and other communication channels.
3. Students should take the initiative to actively keep an eye on their surrounding co-workers and classmates, place their academics and individual growth as their priorities, and to uphold the country’s harmony and stability.
4. If students discover any relevant questionable situations, they should immediately report to the party organization.
Wishing everyone a wonderful vacation!
Peking University Law School
January 16, 2008
各位同学：
大家好！
今天上午九点半院党委、团委、学生工作办公室就”零八宪章”一事召开紧急会议，传达了中央相关精神，并对本院学生提出了如下要求：
1、正确认识该行为的性质：反党、反社会主义；
2、作为党员应坚定党的领导，坚决抵制并远离这种行为，保持清醒认识，不盲从、不随波逐流，不通过各种媒体或其他通讯联络渠道散布不良信息；
3、主动关心周围的同事和同学，以学业为重，以自身发展为重，维护国家和谐稳定；
4、发现情况及时向党组织汇报。
祝各位假期愉快！
北京大学法学院
2008年1月16日
Update (10:25 am Jan. 26, 2009 ): Blogger Ulrichsson‘s comment:
I know the notice is basically a warning, but can they not find a way to do that without ridiculing themselves? Possibly not, since they simply have no sensible arguments, but maybe they should “interrogate” some students instead. If you are going for intimidation anyway, why not do it right?
Watching a moribound system right for survival is irritating, sad, funny, tragic at the same time, but mostly alarming. I mean, what are they going to do when they themselves realize they simply don’t have any effective arguments anymore? Turn to other non-verbal, more effective arguments?
