In an interview, Chen voiced anger over a prison sentence handed in November to his nephew, Chen Kegui, who the activist said had been severely beaten as retaliation for the escape that made headlines around the world.

“Not only has the Chinese government not fulfilled its own promises to me a year ago, but it has also become worse as they have not stopped persecuting my family members,” Chen said.

“This in itself shows that the Chinese communist regime has no intention to change its course,” he said.

Chen said the authorities in Shandong province had attempted to remove the four-year-old son of Chen Kegui from school last month, according to Radio Free Asia, and Chen Kegui’s father said he had been followed as he attempted to take the child to school. Chen pressed Congress to disclose the details of the deal brokered between the State Department and the Chinese government in May of last year, according to Karen DeYoung of The Washington Post:

He asked the panel to obtain “and publish the written and oral diplomatic agreements between China and the United States with regard to this incident of mine,” including a letter he wrote to China’s then-premier, Wen Jiabao, after seeking refuge in the U.S. Embassy compound.

The administration has never fully described the hectic events of last April, when Chen sought refuge in the embassy. He was then taken to a local hospital and finally granted a visa to the United States and allowed to leave.

A State Department spokesperson was asked about Chen’s testimony during Wednesday’s daily press briefing:

QUESTION: Well, is there some kind of secret document that you’re aware of?

MR. VENTRELL: Not that I’m aware of. I mean, certainly we have records of our diplomatic interactions, but –

QUESTION: No, no, no. But I mean something that would be – that maybe Secretary Clinton or Ambassador Locke or someone signed with the Chinese. Is there something in writing about the – which provides guarantees from the Chinese side about how his family would be treated? Or was it all done verbally?

MR. VENTRELL: I’m not sure on that question one way or another. We characterized publicly what we could about the negotiation at the time.

QUESTION: Well, he yesterday testified that there was such a – there is such a document out there. So if you could – I’m not suggesting, although I would like it if you would – if there is one, if you would release it, but I’m not asking for it to be released at the moment. I’d just like to know if there is one.

MR. VENTRELL: I’m not aware one way or another.

QUESTION: Well, can you ask?

MR. VENTRELL: I’d be happy to look into it, but I’m not aware one way or another.

See also CDT coverage of a recent inverview given by Chen and an op-ed he wrote in The Washington Post with Geng He, the wife of vanished human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng.

© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asylum, Barack Obama, Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, United States
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“Political reforms didn’t stop under Hu [Jintao] and Wen [Jiabao] – they went backwards. So just like when people started talking about the Hu-Wen ‘new deal’ in 2003, now we start to talk about the Xi-Li ‘new deal’, it’s just wishful thinking.”

[…] Asked what he would say to Mr Obama, if he ever got the chance, Mr Chen said that ignoring China’s record on human rights was undermining America’s standing in the world.

“I would tell Mr Obama there is no small matter in international diplomacy. If an agreement between the US and China can’t be fulfilled, then US credibility as the standard bearer of universal values, freedom and democracy will be jeopardised.”

In op-ed at The Washington Post, Chen and Geng He, wife of vanished rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, urge the White House to push for an end to persecution of activists, lawyers and their families in China:

Our stories are flip sides of the same coin. Geng He sought asylum in the United States after Chinese authorities detained and brutally tortured her husband, the rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Chen Guangcheng, a legal activist, was a prisoner of conscience for many years before escaping house arrest last spring. Now in America, he is studying at New York University and advocating on behalf of his relatives, who continue to endure persecution in China because of his activism.

While our stories are different, the theme is the same: The Chinese government targets rights advocates and their families.

[…] Our stories are just two examples of Chinese authorities acting with impunity and complete disregard for the rule of law. But the attacks on our families are especially worrisome because they show that the government targets not only activists and their families but also the lawyers who have an ethical obligation to defend their clients’ rights against government abuses. Gao once said that you cannot be a rights lawyer in China without becoming a rights case yourself. And when these essential advocates and their families are targeted by the government, the international community must speak out on their behalf.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asylum, Barack Obama, Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, Hu Jintao, Li Keqiang, reform, rights lawyers, rule of law, Wen Jiabao, Xi Jinping
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On January 12, 2013, two family members of the imprisoned rights defense lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟) were permitted to visit Gao at Shaya Prison in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to Gao’s wife Geng He (耿和). This was the first family visit since March 24, 2012, and the only confirmation since that date that Gao is still alive. Gao’s younger brother and Geng He’s father were allowed to see Gao and speak with him by phone through a glass window.

[…] Before being allowed to see Gao, his younger brother was subjected to a body search and told that, during the visit, he was not allowed to discuss Gao’s case, Gao’s prison situation, or Geng He and their two children, who are in the United States, or to accept press interviews after the visit.

Gao’s mind seemed clear and he spoke normally. His younger brother was not able to find out when Gao is scheduled to be released, or whether he received the letters from his wife and children.

When Gao’s brother asked when Gao is permitted to see his family next, he was told that the family has to “follow old ways.” Geng He said, “Last time, it took nine months for the authorities to allow the family to see Gao in prison. How long will it take next time?”

See more on Gao’s case at Human Rights in China and at CDT.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Gao Zhisheng, human rights in china, prison, prisoners, rights lawyers, torture, Xinjiang
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The translations are by Rogier Creemers of China Copyright and Media.

9 March 2006

Concerning reports on the reform of the Beijing Qianmen area, please do not reprint matters, where they are already reprinted, please immediately delete them. Forums are also not to discuss this matter.

Reports on the university student Wu Yujie being imprisoned for engaging in ticket scalping activities, are not to be discussed. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

9 March 2006

Please speedily delete “Man Leaving Crime Scene Beaten to Death, Bystanders Seek Help from Police Without Response.” Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

9 March 2006

News Notice (Fan Tao): Please make “Yujie” (personal name) into a keyword, filter all articles about this person.  Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

8 March 2006

News Notice (Chen Hua): Yesterday, after minister of foreign affairs Li Zhaoxing organized a press conference, Japan put forward an impertinent protest against us, websites are requested to strengthen management, do not disseminate information or comments about this matter, forums, trackers, blogs, etc., are not permitted to carry discussions of this kind.

9 March 2006

Everyone:

Please delete reports on the matter of serial murder of children in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang as soon as possible;

The text “The Chinese Communist Party Must Know How to Control the New Bourgeoisie” must not be permitted to appear on websites;

If there are online articles smearing the Lei Feng Spirit, especially the text “The Truth about One Corrupt Element: Lei Feng,” they must be firmly deleted;

If there are blogs set up by the earlier China Public Opinion Supervision Net leading person Li Xinde on your website, please delete them;

For reprinting the case of the only daughter of a Tsinghua University professor being throttled to death by a public transport ticket seller, please wait for our notification, do not reprint anything before then.

6 March 2006

Network Supervision notice: Focus supervision and control points from 4 March until 10 March:

(1) Online information trends concerning the national “Two Sessions”;

(2) Clues on activities of a number of retired military personnel, bank personnel “bought out of seniority,” households moved away because of confiscation, house owners and other groups planning, organizing and linking up for petitioning and “rights defense” activities, etc.;

(3) Domestic and foreign hostile forces playing up the “relay fasting activity” started by Gao Zhisheng and other situations.

(4) Pay attention to finding and dealing with the “Online Publication of an ‘Open Letter’ Incident” of People’s Policeman Wu Youming from Huangshi, Hebei and corresponding information;

(5) Pay attention to finding and dealing with information related to “the incident of Hui-Han clashes in Xinzheng, Henan,” as well as “Terrorist Suitcase Bomb Construction Plan.”

Explanation: the first item is a focus target for attention, delete negative reports on and attacking content concerning the Two Sessions! Items 2-5 are to be immediately deleted when found.

6 March 2006

Please delete the articles on Premier Wen opening a blog according to requirements.

6 March 2006

News notice:

(1) The matter of “serial killing of children happening in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang,” please do not put it on the main page of websites or the main news page. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

(2) Please remove surveys stating that 67% of citizens believe that the current amount of civil servants should be reduced from front pages and main news center pages of websites. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

Attention: if it is not on the front page, it may be reported.

6 March 2006

Network Supervision Office notification: Articles on Wang Xiaoya having a dubious relationship with some high Ministry of Public Security official, Minister Zhou or Minister Zhou Yongkang may not be issued without exception, existing ones are to be all deleted.

4 March 2006

Information Office notice: Everyone, the Political Consultative Committee member Wu Bowei stating that receiving read envelopes may make doctor-patient relations more harmonious, no website may report this without exception, existing matters must be deleted as soon as possible, it may also not be discussed in forums.

3 March 2006

Please immediately delete the following content:

(1) Police ban unlicensed dispensaries creating havoc for villagers in 200 villages, villagers state unlicensed dispensaries’ prices are reasonable;

(2) A batch of improper professional personnel is to be repatriated during the Two Sessions period;

(3) Shenzhen deals with ringleaders unlawfully gathering crowds.

3 March 2006

Recently, a piece of news has circulated on the Internet, entitled “Beijing Railway Station Traffic Police Inspect Driver Violating Regulations Are Blocked – And Kneel Before 70 Year Old Lady In Street.” The said new has had great repercussions in society. Some netizens have seized the opportunity to slander Beijing police, vainly attempting to play up this matter, and creating an opposing situation between the masses and the police.

On the instruction of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau director, your company is requested to strengthen supervision strength, and news or comments related to “Beijing Railway Station Traffic Police Inspect Driver Violating Regulations Are Blocked – And Kneel Before 70 Year Old Lady In Street” are to be deleted without exception.

2 March 2006

Information Office notice (Chen Hua): In the case of four students jumping off buildings in the Huanan Agricultural University in Guangdong, websites are no longer to reprint reports and copy on this, existing copy is to be transferred to the back stage, forums and trackers are no longer to track this sort of posts

2 March 2006

Concerning the dispute  of Qiu Chengtong with professor Tian Gang, no online reporting is to occur without exception.

2 March 2006

Grasp the few matters needing attention in online forum discussions concerning Chen Shui-bian “ending his term.”

(1) Forums and other interactive columns must be strictly grasped according to relevant principles and policies of the Center on Taiwan, ideologies and actions are to be unified around the spirit of the Center, it is necessary to let the broad masses believe the Center has the determination, the capacity and the ways to smash “Taiwanese independence” forces’ plotting to split the motherland, and move the grand cause of reunification of the motherland forward.

(2) Online discussion must fully reflect that the realization of peaceful unification of the two shores, and stimulate the grand rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, is the common wish of the sons and daughters of China inside and outside the country, including Taiwan compatriots. The malicious nature of “Taiwanese independence” causing quarrels in the peace in the Taiwan Straits and causing stress in the relationships between the two shores must be deeply exposed, and it must be put forward that the line of Chen Shui-bian in insisting on “Taiwanese Independence” completely instigates opposition and conflict within Taiwan and between the two shores, and can only bring disaster to Taiwanese society.

(3) Interpretation of the important statements of our Party and State leaders must be strengthened, fully and deeply propagate the principles and policies of the Chinese side well.

(4) Declarations of foreign governments and overseas personalities that are beneficial to us must be timely transmitted.

(5) Discussions of netizens on “military unification,” “sending soldiers,” etc., must be earnestly grasped, they are not to be excessively concentrated, this sort of posts may not be more than two on the main page of forums and trackers.

(6) Articles or posts seizing the opportunity to attack or censure the Party and government, or attack the Central principles, policies and uniform deployment concerning Taiwan must be firmly blocked or deleted. Discussions seizing the opportunity to incite uproar or destroy social stability may not be encouraged to be signed or passed on online, illegal activities may not be encouraged.

(7) Strictly implement requirements on the scope of reprinting, do not gather news yourself, corresponding VIP interviews must be approved.

2 March 2006

Please inspect whether or not the content “Complete Notes and Pictures on the Appalling News of Cannibalism in Guangdong” is present on your website, if it is, please delete it. Furthermore, please notify the full-time public opinion officers to receive a message in his own mailbox, if they do not understand, let them contact us. Thank you.

2006年3月北京网管办发出的禁令（一）

2006-03-09

有关北京前门地区改造的报道，请不要转载，已经转载的，请立即删除。论坛也不讨论此事。

对从事倒票活动大学生武玉杰被刑拘一事不报道，不讨论。收到请回复，谢谢。
2006-03-09

“男子搬迁现场被打死 旁人向警察求助无回应”请迅速删除。收到请回复，谢谢。
2006-03-09

新闻通知（范涛）：请将“余杰”（人名）将为关键词，过滤此人的所有文章。收到请回复，谢谢。
2006-03-08

新闻通知（陈华）：昨天李肇星外长举行记者招待会后，日本对我提出无礼抗议，请网站加强管理，不传播有关此事的消息、评论，论坛、跟帖、博客等也不允许刊发此类言论
2006-03-09

各位：

黑龙江佳木斯发生杀童连环案”一事的报道，请尽快删除；

《中国共产党要懂得驾驭新资产阶级》一文，不要让其在网站中出现；

如果网上有污蔑雷锋精神的文章，特别是《一个贪污分子的真相?D?D雷锋》一文，要坚决删除；

在自己网站中，如果有原中国舆论监督网负责人李新德开设的博客，请删除；

清华大学教授独生女被公交售票员掐死一案的转载，请等候我的通知，此前不要转载。

2006-03-06

网监通知：3月4日至3月10日监控重点

1、网上有关全国“两会”的信息动态；

2、部分军队退役人员、银行“买断工龄”职工、征地拆迁户、房产业主等群体策划、组织、串联上访“维权”等活动线索；

3、境内外敌对势力针对高智晟发起的“接力绝食活动”等进行炒作的情况。

4、对湖北省黄石市民警吴幼明“网上发表‘公开信’事件”及相关信息注意发现处置；

5、对“河南新郑市回汉冲突事件”以及“恐怖分子皮箱炸弹构造图”相关信息注意发现处置。

说明：第1项为重点关注对象，对于两会负面报道攻击性强的内容删除！第2-5项为审核时发现立即删除。

2006-03-06

请将要求温总理开博客的文章删除
2006-03-06

新闻通知

1、”黑龙江佳木斯发生杀童连环案”一事，请不要放在网站首页和新闻首页。收到请回复，谢谢。

2、调查称67%公众认为现有公务员数量应该减少，请从网站首页、新闻中心首页撤下。收到请回复，谢谢。

注意：是不上首页，可报道。

2006-03-06
网监处通知：有王小丫与公安部某高官或周部长、周永康部长关系暧昧的文章一律不发，已有的都删除.
2006-03-04

新闻办通知: 各位，政协委员吴博威称收红包可令医患关系更和谐的消息，各网站一律不得报道，已有的要尽快删除，论坛中也不得讨论。
2006-03-03

请立即删除下列内容――

1、警方取缔无证诊所遭200村民围困，村民称无证诊所价格合理

2、两会期间将集中遣返一批无正当职业人员

3、深圳处理违法聚众首要分子
2006-03-03

最近互联网上流行一则新闻，题为《北京站交警查违章司机受阻当街向70岁老太下跪》。该新闻在社会上产生很大反响。有些网民借机诋毁北京警方，妄图将此事炒大，造成民众与警方的对立局势。

经北京市公安局局长批示，请贵公司加强监控力度，对涉及《北京站交警查违章司机受阻当街向70岁老太下跪》相关的新闻、评论一律删除。
2006-03-02

新闻办通知（陈华）：广东华南农业大学连续发生4起学生跳楼事件一事，网站不再转发此类报道稿件，已有稿件转至后台，论坛、跟帖不再贴发此类帖文
2006-03-02

有关丘成桐与田刚教授的争论，网上一律不报道。

2006-03-02

把握好网上论坛有关陈水扁”终统”讨论几点注意事项

1、论坛等互动栏目要严格按照中央有关对台方针政策把握，将思想和行动统一到中央精神上来，要让广大群众相信中央有决心、有能力、有办法粉碎”台独”势力分裂祖国的图谋，推进祖国统一大业。

2、网上讨论要充分反映实现两岸和平统一、促进中华民族伟大复兴，是包括台湾同胞在内的海内外中华儿女的共同心声。要深入揭露陈水扁恶意挑衅台海和 平、制造两岸关系紧张的”台独”本质，指出陈水扁执意推行”台独”路线，在台湾内部和两岸之间全面挑起对抗冲突，只能为台湾社会带来灾难。

3、对我党和国家领导人重要表态要加强解读，充分深入宣传好中央的方针政策。

4、对外国政府和海外人士对我有利的表态要及时转发。

5、对网民”武力统一”、”出兵”等言论要认真把握，不过于集中，此类贴文在论坛和跟帖主页面不多于两条。

6、对借机攻击指责党和政府、攻击中央对台方针政策和统一部署的文章、帖文,坚决封堵和删除借机煽动闹事、破坏社会稳定的言论，不得在网上鼓动签名、串联和鼓动非法活动。

7、严格执行转载范围的要求，不得自采，相关嘉宾访谈必须经批准。
2006-03-02

请检查网站有无“广东人吃人骇闻全记录组图”内容，如有，请予删除。另外，请通知专职舆情员到自己的邮箱收一个邮件，如有不明白，让他们与我联系。谢谢。

These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on China Copyright and Media on November 17, 2012 (here).

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beijing, Beijing Internet Instructions, censorship, Censorship Vault, Chen Hua, Chen Shui-bian, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Gao Zhisheng, Guangdong, hebei, Heilongjiang, Internet censorship, Japan, jiamusi, Lei Feng, Li Xinde, li zhaoxing, Ministry of Truth, netizens, police, Qianmen, rights defense, Shenzhen, Taiwan, Tsinghua University, two sessions, Zhou Yongkang
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The translations are by Rogier Creemers of China Copyright and Media.

30 November 2005

A notification from Information Office director Chen Hua has been received: The case of “A man issued a threat from the Henan Commercial Daily to detonate explosives on his body, and was shot dead by police,” all websites may not report this without exception, already reported matters must be deleted.

It is prohibited to publish or reprint the book An Exploration of Hu Yaobang’s Thoughts on Reform, published by the Hong Kong Kunpeng Publisher. Already issued content is to be deleted immediately.

25 November 2005

A notification from Information Office director Chen Hua has been received: for online reporting on the pollution in the Songhua River created by the explosion in a Jilin chemical factory and Harbin cutting off the water supply, only use copy from Xinhua and the main provincial media in Heilongjiang, reports on this matter must be simplified and played down. Online, rethinking articles and article on pursuing responsibility may not be reprinted, this sort of reports must, in the end, have the conclusion made by relevant State departments as the norm, unsuitable reporting triggering social instability and dissatisfied emotions on the masses is to be prevented. Management over forums and news tracker must be strengthened, and all sorts of harmful information timely deleted.

22 November 2005

(1) The death of National Investment Corporation Board Chairman Liang Yuncai during a period of shuanggui.

(2) The rallies and disturbances created by personnel of the Shenzhen “Great Wall” and “Golden Masses” companies.

3, The Beijing lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s “rights defense,” etc.

The above incidents may not be reported or reprinted without exception.

16 November 2005

In recent days, there have been reports again about the new “spirit” of the Paris riots: objectively report it, do not censure the French government because of it, and do not link it up to domestic “reality.”

16 November 2005

(1) Recent discussions on the American president’s visit to China, involving his route in China, the judicial assembly, or harming social security and other content may not be touched upon;

(2) Recent activities commemorating Hu Yaobang may not be reported on the main page of websites, it may appear on forums, but only Xinhua Net reports can be reprinted;

(3) If the above content appears on websites, IP addresses and other information are to be absolutely recorded, and reported daily to the Haidian Public Security Office (General Police Office 82519319, 13911837664) and the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Network Supervision Bureau.

11 November 2005

Everyone: where information appears concerning terror attacks that will occur in Beijing are to be immediately deleted; tonight, the Olympic mascots are unveiled, strictly implement earlier requirements, keep post numbers within 200, mainly report positive appraisal, do not let negative public opinion emerge, do not engage in surveys and interview.

11 November 2005

(1) The annual exam will soon take place, pay attention to supervising content such as stealing questions, cheating methods, etc.;

(2) Recently, comments of residents and personnel in some localities on content related to their localities (services, construction, government cervices, basic infrastructure, etc.) have emerged, if you come across local governments or relevant local departments requiring deletion of this content, the counterpart may be required to contact the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Network Supervision Bureau, explain the matter, and the deletion of this content is only to occur after corresponding permission is received from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Network Supervision Bureau. At the same time, pay attention to grasping this sort of content, if you come across content about which there is uncertainty, timely ask for instructions with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Network Supervision Department; (pay attention to judgment on this content).

(3) recently, a number of the American magazine Forbes has published a cover leading article “Attack of the Blogs,” this article extremely acutely attacked the phenomenon of a group of American blogs in which defamation and other criminal phenomena emerged. This article has already given rise to heated arguments in the media, on the internet and among personalities in the legal sphere. At a time where blogging activities spread like wildfire in America and across the globe, this article gave rise to a great disturbance. This matter may spread domestically, and deserves attention. In short, keep the gate of blog content well, avoid blunders, this may be extremely important at present.

10 November 2005

I. Today, in the afternoon, we attended the “Work Conference on Governing Websites Providing Obscene, Sexual and Violent Games” organized by the Beijing Press and Publications Bureau concerning the “Notice concerning Conducting a Limited Time of Rectification of Websites Providing Obscene, Sexual and Violent Gaming Content,” the following spirit is transmitted:

(1) games having clear content inciting ethnic emotions;

(2) gaming having content of hating State leaders;

(3) gaming having content sowing discord among ethnic sentiments;

(4) content of obscene, sexual and violent games;

(5) cases where the above content is disseminated through forums and blogs are focus targets for supervision and management.

10 November 2005

Concerning sexual and violent games not being permitted for publication,, existing searches are deleted, where they emerge in the future, they are to be deleted without exception, the games that have concretely been determined as sexual are: “Idiots Are Criminals,” the “Tail” series, “Lula 3D”, “Game 2 Taboo Trial,” “Love Sister,” “Man-made Girl,” “Stink,” “Posthumous,” “Pretty Girl Yakyuken,” “24 Hour Nurse,” “The Guilt of Seven Generations,” the “Happy Sex Life” series, “3Feel Online,” and “Bloodrayne 2.”

10 November 2005

Yesterday, a notice from the Information Office was received, the matter of “the statue of Qin Hui is removed from exposition” may not be played up. The details of the reason are unknown. For reference only.

10 November 2005

At present, relevant departments’ management over the Internet has further strengthened, from the middle of October, a “rapid supervision and management mechanism” concerning online public opinion has been officially and completely started up. All higher-level instructions concerning network content are also correspondingly concrete. For example, the recent strict prohibition of publishing of “The Rights Defense Incident in the Red Sea Gulf,” “Reports on Japan” as well as the so-called “42 Bank Presidents Who Fled Abroad” and other false news, the requirement that content not conforming to the spirit of the Center must be determinedly deleted and blocked, and putting forward that blogs, forums and websites with “relatively much harmful information,” gravely violating regulations and “that do not hear the call” must be firmly investigated and prosecuted or even closed.

Information Office director Chen Hua notifies: everyone, concerning the report that South Korean capital Seoul officially changes its Chinese name, do not play this up, do not put it in the important news section, do not place it on the front page of websites, close news trackers, forums are not to discuss this.

Our website’s supervision and control is to not have any channel on the front page, and delete forums without exception!

10 November 2005

(1) The Network Supervision Office issues a Notice: Articles concerning the production and sale of monitoring devices, bugging devices, etc., are to be deleted without exception.

(2) Matters concerning the adult game “Guilt of Seven Generations” must be deleted.

10 November 2005

A notice from Chen Hua was received: “How Can A Kept Woman Become Section Director?,” corresponding matters are to be deleted without exception.

Concerning the matter of the White Paper on Chinese Democratic Politics (that will be published tomorrow by the State Council Information Office), no VIP interviews are to be made without exception, do not set up trackers, forums are not to discuss this.

2005年11月北京网管办发出的禁令

2005-11-30

接新闻办陈华通知：“一男子在河南商报扬言引爆身上爆炸物，被警方击毙”一事，各网站一律不得报道，已报道的要删除。

禁止发表转载由香港昆鹏出版社出版的《胡耀邦改革思想初探》一书。对已发布的内容立即删除。
2005-11-25

接新闻办陈华通知：关于吉化厂爆炸造成松花江污染和哈尔滨停水事件的网上报道，只使用新华社和黑龙江省主要媒体的稿件，要简化、淡化此事的报道。网 上不得转载反思和追究责任的文章，此类报道最后要以国家有关部门公布的结论为准，防止由于报道不当引发社会不稳定和群众的不满情绪。要加强对论坛和新闻跟 贴的管理，及时删除各类有害信息。
2005-11-22

1、国投公司董事长梁云才双规期间死亡。

2、深圳“长城”“金众”公司员工聚众闹事。

3、北京律师高智晟“维权”等。

以上事件一律不准报道转载。

2005-11-16

近日又有关于巴黎骚乱的新“精神”：客观报道，勿为此指责法国政府，也不要联系国内“实际”。
2005-11-16

1、近期美国总统访华的涉及到在华线路、司法集合、危害社会安全的言论等内容不要涉及；

2、近期为纪念胡耀邦有相关活动，网站主页不可报道，在论坛里可出现，但只能转载新华网的报道；

3、如在网站上出现以上内容，一定记录IP等信息，每天向海淀公安局（董警官 82519319，13911837664）、北京市公安局网监处报告。

2005-11-11

各位：有关北京将遭恐怖袭击的消息发现即删除；今晚奥运吉祥物发布，严格此前要求，跟贴200以内，正面评价为主，不得出现负面舆论，不作调查和访谈。

2005-11-11

1、一年一度的考研马上到了，注意贩卖考题、作弊方式等内容的监管；

2、最近有地方居民或人员评论本地（服务、建设、市政服务、基础设施等）相关内容出现，如碰到地方政府或地方的相关部门要求删除此内容的，可要求对 方与北京市公安局网监处联系，说明，此类内容的删除必须得到北京市公安局网监处的相关许可后可进行。同时，注意这类内容的把握，碰到拿不准的内容，及时和 北京市公安局网监处请示；（注意此内容的判断）

3、最新一期美国《福布斯》杂志发表封面重头文章《博客的攻击》，这篇文章十分尖锐地批评了美国博客一族中出现的诽谤等犯罪现象。这篇文章已经引起 传媒、互联网以及法律界人士的激烈争论。在美国和全球博客运动如火如荼之际，这篇文章引起轩然大波。此事或将波及国内，值得注意。总之博客网在内容上把好 关，免出纰漏，这在目前可能是至关重要的。
2005-11-10

一、今天下午参加了北京市新闻出版局举办的针对《关于对提供淫秽色情、暴力游戏内容的网站进行限期整改的通知》的《治理提供淫秽色情暴力内容游戏网站工作会》会议，传达以下精神：

1、带有明显煽动民族情绪的内容的游戏内容；

2、带有仇视国家领导人的游戏内容；

3、带有挑拨民族感情的游戏内容；

4、淫秽、色情、暴力游戏的内容；

5、通过论坛、博客传播的以上内容为新形式下的监管重点对象。
2005-11-10

关于色情暴力的游戏不准发表，已有的搜索删除，以后发现的一律删除，现具体已明确为色情暴力的游戏有：《痴汉是犯罪》、《尾行》系列、《露拉 3D》、《游具2禁忌试玩》、《爱姐妹》、《人工少女》、 《臭作》、《遗作》、《美女野球拳》、《护士24点》、《七宗罪》、《性福人生》系列、《The 3Feel Online》、《吸血莱恩2》
2005-11-10

昨接新闻局一通知，“秦桧塑像撤展”一事一律不得炒作。原因详情未知。仅供参考。
2005-11-10

目前有关部门对互联网管理进一步加强，从十月中旬起，对网上舆情的“快速监管机制”已经正式全面启动。上级对网络内容的各项指示也相当具体。如近期 对“红海湾维权事件”“涉日报道”以及所谓“42名行长外逃”假新闻等严禁刊登，要求对不符中央精神的内容要坚决删除封堵，提出对“有害内容较多”和严重 违规和“不听招呼”的博客、论坛和网站要坚决查处甚至予以关闭。

2005-11-10

新闻办陈华通知：各位，关于韩国首都汉城正式更名为“首尔”的报道，不炒作，不放要闻区，不上网站首页，关闭新闻跟帖，论坛不讨论。

我们网站的监控是各频道不上首页,论坛一律删!

2005-11-10

1、网络监察处有通知：关于监听器、窃听器等制作和销售的帖文一律删除。

2、关于成人游戏七宗罪的要删除。

2005-11-10

接陈华通知：“三陪女是怎样当上部长的”，相关的一律删除

有关（明天国新办等将）发布中国民主政治白皮书一事，一律不做嘉宾访谈，不开跟帖，论坛不讨论。

These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on China Copyright and Media on November 13, 2012 (here).

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beijing, Beijing Internet Instructions, censorship, Censorship Vault, Chen Hua, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, forbes, Gao Zhisheng, Harbin, Henan, Hong Kong, hu yaobang, Internet censorship, Japan, jilin, Liang Yuncai, Ministry of Truth, Qin Hui, rights defense, Seoul, Shenzhen, Shuanggui, Songhua River, south korea, State Council Information Office, Xinhua
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Mr. Posner was reporting on the latest session of an annual human rights dialogue with China, which took place this week in Washington and included representatives from American and Chinese government agencies. During the meetings, he said, the State Department addressed China’s abuses of free expression on the Internet and in public, its persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, and its inhumane labor practices, among other human rights issues. For their part, Chinese officials raised concerns about the United States’ record on human rights, particularly in areas of discrimination and prison conditions.

“The point that we made, which I feel very confident and proud to make, is that we have human rights issues in the United States, but we also have a very strong system to respond to them,” Mr. Posner said, citing access to legal representation for all citizens, a free press and a “robust” culture of political engagement.

[…] Critics say that merely raising concerns with the Chinese government, as the United States does in this dialogue each year, is an exercise in diplomatic futility. The State Department insists that the discussions are one facet of a larger strategy.

Posner attempted to address this criticism during questions after the briefing:

QUESTION: […] I’m just wondering if you could tell us, from your perspective, what this dialogue has accomplished in concrete terms. I mean, every year you come up, you say that they take on our complaints or our things onboard. but I’ve never seen – but you, yourself, are saying the situation is deteriorating. For those who are interested in human rights in China, why is this dialogue really worth the time that it takes to do it?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: We take our lead from those within China who are advocating for human rights and who are on the receiving end of improper actions. What people in China tell us – lawyers, activists, people whose family members are detained – is that it’s critically important for us to raise these issues, raise specific cases, to do so privately, to do so publicly, to do so on an ongoing basis, and not forget about them. This is a piece of that effort. It’s not the only effort. We work on these issues 365 days a year. I’m not the only one raising these concerns.

But this is an opportunity for us to go into these cases and these issues in greater depth and to appear, as I am here today, to make clear what our concerns are. We will continue to raise these issues throughout the year, and I think over time we’re responding to a very heartfelt desire by people living in China that these issues – that their cases, their issues, not be forgotten.

We’re amplifying their voices, in effect. And as I said in my opening statement, there’s greater attention to these issues by Chinese people on the web, in the blogs. These are issues that are now commanding greater attention.

A Global Times report, on the other hand, was fairly dismissive of the process, stating that the US would “continue its preaching” without applying real pressure:

“If we put this under the larger context of China-US relations, we can expect the dialogue to be fairly routine, much like in the past few years,” said Liu Weidong, a researcher at the Institute of American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Human rights issues are not really a priority with US politicians, as they are much more concerned with their economy and security strategy, said Liu.

“The US is more concerned over whether China will pose a threat to its role in the Asia Pacific, or if the territorial disputes in the region might affect its strategic deployment here,” he said.

[…] To show its commitment to advancing human rights, China published two national action plans on human rights in 2009 and 2012.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, Global Times, human rights dialogue, human rights diplomacy, Liu Xiaobo, Michael Posner, Ni Yulan, State Department, Tibet, United States, Xinjiang
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Gao’s brother Gao Zhiyi told The Associated Press that he has seen his brother but added it was “not convenient” to say more.

The dissident’s wife, Geng He, said her father and Gao’s brother saw him for half an hour in a remote prison in Xinjiang on Saturday in an emotional reunion. She expressed relief at proof her husband is alive and relatively well.

Geng, who now lives in California, says she was told Gao appeared paler than the last time his brother saw him two years ago but seemed otherwise the same.

The whereabouts of Gao, who earlier said he had been kidnapped and tortured by Chinese authorities, had been unknown for 20 months until state media reported in December that he was being sent back to prison for three years for violating his probation.

Read more about Gao Zhisheng’s case via CDT.

© Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: activists, Gao Zhisheng, lawyers, political prisoners
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“I will go out to do some errands.” That is the last thing that Geng He remembers her husband, Gao Zhisheng, saying to her. She recalls that was wearing a casual black leather jacket and jeans, his usual attire. But since that brisk morning more than three years ago, he has not returned.

…

Actually, she did see him one time after he disappeared, in a news photograph that appeared in April 2010. He didn’t look well. “I was very worried about his health. I would very much like him to see a doctor and dentist to make sure he is okay.”

Geng He and Gao Zhisheng have two children: a son who is almost 9, and a daughter who is almost 19. Geng was 23 and Gao was 26 when they married on August 1, 1990. What the future would entail for a studious lawyer who chose to stand up for principle, neither of them could then foresee.

As Larson notes, Geng He appeared in front of the U.S. Congress’ Exective Committee on China to testify at a hearing regarding her husband’s detention. The hearing took place as Chinese president-in-waiting Xi Jinping met with President Obama as he began his United States trip this week. See also an NTDV report on her testimony.

© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barack Obama, dissidents, Gao Zhisheng, illegal detentions, U.S. relations, Xi Jinping
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The brother, Gao Zhiyi, told two news agencies that he had been informed that Gao Zhisheng was in a prison in Shaya County. The brother said he had received an official notice on Sunday telling him that Mr. Gao was now back in prison because a court had revoked his probation, and that he would have to serve three more years.

Mr. Gao, a Beijing lawyer known for taking politically delicate cases, was sentenced to three years of probation in 2006 for inciting subversion of the state. The official Xinhua news agency reported last month that his probation had been revoked.

But human rights advocates say Mr. Gao was never on probation because he had been missing for 20 months, presumably in police custody. Over the years, Mr. Gao has disappeared for lengthy periods and re-emerged to say he had been tortured by security forces.

Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance in April 2010, which the United Nations claims violated international law, marked the third time he had gone missing since the Chinese government shut down his law practice in 2005. The United Nations also expressed concern when the government revoked Gao’s probation last month.

Human rights observers have heavily condemned recently proposed changes to China’s criminal procedure law which would allow the government to secretly detain and torture critics such as Gao, Ai Weiwei, Liu Xiaobo and others. Zhou Xiaohui of The Epoch Times says that Gao’s continued detention offers an opportunity for the United States to walk the walk with regards to its intention to return to Asia and speak up about human rights abuses by China:

By supporting with concrete actions those whom the Chinese regime suppresses, America will strengthen itself by remaining true to itself.

At the same time, such a policy would provide real protection for U.S. national interests. It would give nations in East Asia a clear choice between the Chinese regime and the United States, between tyranny and freedom.

By helping China’s dissidents, the United States will help those who seek for China a future that is harmonious with the universal principles America is based on. America will be supporting those who are its true friends and in doing so win the friendship of the Chinese people.

As the new year approaches, the United States has an opportunity for a renewal of its approach to China. The individual who has most boldly criticized the Chinese regime’s violations of basic human rights is Gao Zhisheng. Let an American foreign policy based on the principles and true interests of the United States begin by rescuing Gao.

© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ai Weiwei, dissidents, Gao Zhisheng, illegal detentions, lawyers, Liu Xiaobo, U.S. relations, United Nations, United States
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We are very disturbed by reports in China’s state-run media about a Beijing court’s decision to replace human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s extensive period of probation with a full three-year prison sentence. Just a few days before the five-year probation period expired, the Court decided that Gao must now serve his full suspended sentence for violating the probation rules, with no credit for the time he has already spent under the control of the authorities.

For the past 20 months, Gao has been subject to strict monitoring measures by the Public Security Bureau in what appears to be a form of house arrest in an unknown location. This case is illustrative of a trend of secret detention and disappearances of human rights defenders which the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN human rights bodies have already criticized on several occasions in recent years. The High Commissioner has raised the specific case of Gao, along with a number of others, with the Chinese authorities twice in the past seven months.

In relation to this case, one provision included under proposed amendments to China’s Criminal Law Procedure, which are currently being considered by the National People’s Congress, raises further concerns, as it would permit the legalization of secret detention. OHCHR is of the view that this will represent a major setback, running counter to a number of important efforts made over the past decade by the Government of China towards the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

British Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne expressed similar concerns in a statement on Wednesday:

I am deeply concerned by reports that Chinese lawyer and human rights defender Gao Zhisheng, whose probation period was due to expire this week, has been returned to prison for three years. Gao has now been missing since March 2010. I am concerned by reports that Gao has suffered torture and mistreatment, and by the apparently extra-legal nature of his detention. I repeat calls previously made by the UK Government for the Chinese authorities to provide, as a matter of urgency, information regarding Gao’s wellbeing and location.

As in the case of Chen Guangcheng, whose family members have shared his house arrest since late 2010, Gao’s family has also been subjected to intense pressure by the authorities. Gao’s wife, Geng He, fled to the US with their children in 2009. At The Wall Street Journal, Paul Mooney describes their escape, based on a recent interview:

Ms. Geng’s story began in 2008, when a vegetable-seller slipped a note into her hand with the change. “We will protect you—don’t worry,” said the message, which she believes was from a member of the Falun Gong.

Matters reached a head when her daughter, Gege, now 17, was told to transfer to a new high school for her freshman year, a heavy emotional blow for the teenager. Seeing the effect of the government’s campaign against Mr. Gao on the family, Ms. Geng turned to the vegetable seller asking for help. This set in motion the escape.

Shortly after, the seller told her to proceed to the Beijing West Train Station one evening. She was to take her young son Tianyu, six years old at the time. Gege was to leave on her own. Ms. Geng had no opportunity to tell her husband she was leaving. “When we left our apartment, I didn’t look in any direction,” she recalls. “We just left with the clothes on our backs.”

Human Rights in China, meanwhile, reports the release of activist Wang Lihong following the completion of a nine-month prison sentence for “gathering a crowd to disturb social order”.

Wang Lihong (王荔蕻), a well-known rights defender from Beijing, was released in the early morning of December 20 from the Chaoyang District Detention Center in Beijing, where she completed a nine-month sentence for “picking quarrels and provoking troubles.” Wang’s son Qi Jianxiang (齐健翔) posted a public message on Twitter Tuesday asking that those planning to greet Wang outside the detention center not go there, saying that Wang is temporarily staying “another place to recuperate for a couple of days” (暂时在别处静养一两天).

She was detained on March 21, 2011, tried by the Chaoyang District People’s Court of Beijing on August 12, and convicted on September 9. The prosecution’s charge was based on Wang’s role in organizing a protest outside a courthouse in Fujian on April 16, 2010, where the “Three Netizens,” Fan Yanqiong (范燕琼), You Jingyou (游精佑), and Wu Huaying (吴华英), were tried after they helped expose a police cover-up of a rape and a murder. The government alleged that the protest resulted in disorder inside the courtroom and traffic confusion in the area.

HRIC also notes two other recent releases, those of Zheng Yichun and Bo Xiaomao, who served seven and twelve years respectively for “inciting subversion of state power”.

On his China Blues blog, Paul Mooney notes Wang’s release, and translates an essay on her activism and detention by Ai Xiaoming. The following excerpt is Wang’s defiant written response to official demands for a “letter of guarantee” during her three-month house arrest a year ago:

. . . [F]rom a legal point of view, making a citizen write a guarantee letter pledging to not do things that are not illegal in order to have freedom of movement is illegal and a mockery of the law.

I am a citizen of the People’s Republic of China. I have the right to live on the land of my own country and the right to freely move around.

I am a person with conscience and I cannot guarantee that I will remain silent in the face of suffering. I cannot guarantee that, when I face the stories of Qian Yunhui, Tang Fuzhen, Li Shulian . . . I will pretend not to see. . . .

If I remain silent when confronted with suffering and wickedness, then I will be the next person beaten down by evil. You as law enforcers, the restriction you place on my freedom is illegal and has seriously affected my life. I hope that law enforcement and related departments and personnel will quickly correct their illegal actions and give me back my freedom.

See also CDT coverage of Wang’s trial, which her lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan claimed was distorted by a number of procedural irregularities.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chen Guangcheng, Gao Zhisheng, house arrest, illegal detentions, prisoners, subversion, UN, UNHCHR, United Kingdom, Wang Lihong
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Gao Zhisheng, 47, was sentenced to three years in prison with five years of probation and deprived of political rights for one year on Dec. 22, 2006, said a statement from the Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court.

He had seriously violated probation rules for a number of times, which led to the court decision to withdraw the probation, the statement said ….

He would serve his term in prison in next three years, the statement said.

Reuters published reactions to the news from Gao’s brother and Human Rights Watch’s Nicholas Bequelin:

“That’s the first I’ve heard about this. They didn’t tell us anything about a hearing or decision,” Gao Zhiyi said by telephone from his home in Shaanxi province.

“This is a shock. Since he was taken away last year, we haven’t heard anything about where he is or whether he’s healthy,” he added.

Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher on China for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the news did not allay any fears about the lawyer’s well-being.

“This seems to be further proof of the politically motivated persecution against him. He has had a long history of abuses at the hands of authorities,” he said.

Bequelin also stated on Twitter that the international community “should not let up the pressure on Gao Zhisheng – he remains a case of grave concern whether disappeared or imprisoned …. It would take a lot more to make Gao’s case ‘lawful’ than today’s court announcement.”

The family previously believed that Gao’s probation would expire in August, leading to heightened concern when he failed to reappear. Police told them that he was missing or withheld information altogether, and in his continued absence, rumours circulated last month that Gao had died in custody.

See more on Gao Zhisheng, via CDT.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Gao Zhisheng, illegal detentions, lawyers
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Enforced disappearances by the Chinese government’s security agencies have soared as a means to silence perceived dissent, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference in Hong Kong. The government has failed to address the growing problem and is instead attempting to effectively legalize that unlawful practice through a revision to the country’s Criminal Procedure Law, Human Rights Watch said ….

“Despite a few weak gestures of disapproval, the Chinese government has largely ignored or tacitly approved the security agencies’ proclivity for enforced disappearance and ‘black jails,’” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. “That inaction has encouraged China’s security agencies to increasingly make enforced disappearances their tactic of choice. The proposed legal revisions are a clear indication of the government’s intentions ….”

“Chinese and international legal scholars have devoted years to trying to bring China’s laws and legal system in line with international standards, but the proposed revisions are an about face,” Richardson said. “The proof of the Chinese government’s commitment to the rule of law would be to end arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, not to legalize them.”

Reuters describes The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response and the proposals’ political context:

China’s Foreign Ministry said “the competent authorities of China have been soliciting the public’s views” on the proposed amendment.

“We are willing to listen to their views but some organizations have been viewing China with colored lenses,” ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters. “For such organizations, we will not comment on their behavior ….”

With President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao due to step aside for a new generation of leaders next year, the jockeying for power will likely see few liberal gestures, given the obsessive focus on preserving stability.

“There are very few people, particularly at senior levels of the government, that are in a mood to experiment or take risks or propose innovative new strategies for responding to dissent in a systematic way,” said Richardson.

Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan notes the spectrum of measures being employed, including Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance, Chen Guangcheng’s house arrest and Ai Weiwei’s travel restrictions:

The proposed changes were also discussed in a recent report from the Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers, ‘Legal Advocacy and the 2011 Crackdown in China: Adversity, Repression, and Resilience‘ (PDF, pp. 1-2):

The proposed revision raises serious human rights questions and is especially alarming against the backdrop of escalating harassment, detentions, and surveillance targeting lawyers and activists in China in 2011. Between February 2011 and time of press, Chinese authorities have taken documented punitive actions against hundreds of people, the most drastic of which was the enforced disappearances of at least 24 people, as well as the criminal detention of at least 52 more; 11 of these have been formally arrested. Of those targeted in the 2011 crackdown, some of the harshest treatment was taken against a core group of 15 rights lawyers and legal activists, all of whom had previously been targeted by Chinese authorities for taking on cases deemed controversial or sensitive.

The 2011 crackdown exemplifies the range of extra-legal measures that have increasingly been used to disable rights lawyers and activists deemed to be threats (or at least nuisances) to Chinese authorities. The period also marks a dramatic escalation in the use of extra-legal measures: enforced disappearances occurred in multiple cities; lawyers were subject to forced relocations after their return; severephysical violence, harsh interrogation techniques and “re-education” measures were also reported.

These extra-legal measures are what the Chinese legal scholar Fu Hualing calls “extra-extra law” [法律外外秩序 falü waiwai zhixu]—informal, politically-centered policies characterized by a total lack of legality. The extra-legal measures are in direct opposition to China’s own written laws and regulations, yet continue to be widely used. The proposed revision to the CPL expanding detention powers would, if adopted, allow law enforcement enormous discretion in the application of the law, particularly in controversial or sensitive cases. This is especially problematic in light of the fact that the criminal justice system “affords no effective ways for lawyers to challenge self-serving, plainly illegitimate police interpretations and misapplications of the law.”

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ai Weiwei, Ai Weiwei detention 2011, black jail, Chen Guangcheng, criminal procedure law, extrajudicial detainment, Gao Zhisheng, Hu Jintao, human rights watch, illegal detentions, Wen Jiabao
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Is Chen destined to be illegally silenced for the rest of his life? He will soon turn 40 and has the iron will and charisma of a Gandhi. He is badly debilitated, however, after being denied adequate medical attention for six years for increasingly serious gastroenteritis. His death in prison would plainly embarrass his captors, but dying “at home” might appear less sinister.

Neither current criminal legislation nor proposed revisions offer hope of a legal remedy. In practice the procuracy, the supposed “watchdog of legality” imported from the Soviet Union, is politically powerless to fulfil its legal obligations to hold the police to legal standards. Condemnations by United Nations experts and foreign governments, media, rights organisations and scholars have failed to move Zhou Yongkang , who was minister of public security when Chen was first detained and now heads the central Communist Party Political-Legal Committee that controls all Chinese legal institutions. Popular protests against shameless injustice seem to offer Chen’s only chance.

Cohen counsels caution regarding the resumption of Chen’s daughter’s schooling. He notes that a similar return to school for the daughter of missing lawyer Gao Zhisheng “only added to the pressures that battered her and did not presage release for her courageous father.”

Chinese Human Rights Defenders reported apparent progress on Tuesday [zh], in the form of supposed guarantees of Chen’s right to medical treatment and even visitors. These were extracted by journalist Li Jianjun from the Yinan County Public Security Bureau, which conceded:

“Chen Guangcheng is not a foreign aggressor, he is a citizen, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. He can visit the hospital and receive visitors.”

Li’s visit to Dongshigu on Wednesday nevertheless followed the usual pattern, according to a briefing from CHRD:

Despite authorities’ spoken guarantees, Hunan journalist and activist Li Jianjun (李建军) was one of three individuals taken into custody and interrogated by police on October 26, when the group was on the way to see the lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚) in Shandong Province. The incident occurred just after officials fed dubious claims and unlikely promises to Li about going to visit Chen in Dongshigu Village. Over the previous two days, authorities had told Li that, contrary to online reports, Chen is allowed medical care and can have visitors if he so chooses, and that recent reports of beatings of activists going to Dongshigu are merely rumors. A former journalist with the Chengdu Business Times, Li was also repeatedly promised that he would not be interfered with if he went to the village.

Li was seized and taken to the Shuanghou Township Police Station in Linnan County along with Wang Xuezhen (王雪臻) and Guo Feng (郭峰). At the station, the activists asked police about the guarantees of a safe journey provided by authorities, and officers said they could file a report but implied it would not do any good. Wang, who had been robbed when she had come to the area in September, was struck in the mouth by a station personnel, and the three individuals’ cell phones were taken away. The three were released later and decided to abandon their trip to Dongshigu.

China Media Project’s David Bandurski examined Chinese responses to Chen’s situation by both citizens and media, pointing to previously mentioned articles in Global Times and the Oriental Morning Post:

Perhaps taking the cake is a pair of videos originally posted to the domestic video sharing site Youku (but now on YouTube [and embedded at CMP]) in which supporters of Chen Guangcheng unable to gain access to his village put up a fireworks display on the village’s outskirts. “Lighting up the sky for you, Guangcheng,” says the voice on the video.

Getting back to the issue of newspaper coverage, however, it is important to note that the October 12 Global Times editorial on Chen Guangcheng’s case (“The Chen Guangcheng Incident Should not be Turned Ideological”) was not just, as Farris said, “the first time the Global Times has ever mentioned Chen in a Chinese language piece” — it was the first time any Chinese newspaper mentioned Chen Guangcheng in any way, shape or form since 2004.

There were a handful of independent blog reports on Chen Guangcheng’s case, most notably by CMP fellows Wang Keqin (王克勤) and Zhai Minglei (翟明磊), but there was never any mention in mainstream news media.

CMP also posted a cartoon by artist Kuang Biao showing the “Rabid Dogs of Linyi” guarding “the East Village of Corpses and Bones” (a play on ‘Dongshigu’: 东尸骨村, rather than 东师古村). See also Zeng Jinyan’s post at the Index on Censorship’s Uncut blog, and CDT’s round-up of recent coverage and list of related search terms (including 东尸骨村) which have been blocked on Sina Weibo.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chen Guangcheng, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, Gao Zhisheng, Global Times, house arrest, Jerome cohen, legal reform, PSB, Shandong, Wang Keqin, Zhai Minglei
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Mr Gao’s older brother, Gao Zhiyi, 57, issued a missing person notice pleading for any information. “August 14 is the end of his five-year sentence and he should be released,” said Mr Gao.

“Our biggest concern now is whether he is still alive. I am worried they have already murdered him. Otherwise why should his family not be told anything about him?”

Mr Gao, who was born into absolute poverty and lived in a cave in Shaanxi province, taught himself law and passed the bar in 1995. In 2001, he was even named as one of China’s top ten lawyers by the Ministry of Justice.

However, he fell foul of the Chinese government after taking on a series of cases involving members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement and China’s underground Christian churches.

Reuters reports that the authorities have claimed to have no knowledge of Gao’s whereabouts:

Police officers have told Gao Zhisheng’s family that he is missing or they ignore pleas for information, said Gao Zhiyi. “I’ve tried calling many times, but get nothing,” he added ….

“I’m an ordinary citizen, and there’s nothing I can do,” Gao’s brother Gao Zhiyi wrote in the missing person appeal. “If anyone knows something, please tell his family, and we will certainly show our gratitude,” he wrote.

For more on Gao Zhisheng, see the CDT archives.

Sources:

Gao Zhisheng’s family appeal for his release – Telegraph
Family of missing China rights lawyer seeks news on whereabouts – Reuters

© samuel wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: activists, Christianity, detention, Falun Gong, Gao Zhisheng, lawyers, Shaanxi
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It’s open season on lawyers in China today. To be sure, not on most of the almost 200,000 who foster economic development and international business, but on those unwise enough to become involved in human rights, criminal justice, and controversial public-interest cases. For them, law has become an increasingly hazardous profession. They risk informal warnings, 24/7 monitoring, interference with client and law firm relations, loss of their right to practice, hooded abductions, beatings, torture, “thought reform,” coerced “confessions” and “guarantees,” criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and incommunicado incarceration at home both before and after imprisonment.

Gao Zhisheng, once praised by the government as one of China’s outstanding lawyers, suffered all of the above and more, including an alleged assassination attempt, after he began handling sensitive cases. Incredibly, he remained unbowed even after emerging in March 2010 from a mysterious yearlong extrajudicial detention. So, a few weeks later, the authorities “disappeared” him for the second time. Nothing has been heard from him since.

The families of Chinese lawyers often suffer along with them. Spouses are harassed and restricted in their movements; children are humiliated and denied educational opportunities. To end their nightmare, Gao’s wife and children secretly fled to the United States. More sinister threats against families seem to have recently silenced some formerly outspoken rights defenders. Although no statistics are available and many incidents go unreported, the current campaign has directly interfered with at least several hundred lawyers, and thousands of their colleagues have felt the fear and been inhibited.

© Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: defending rights, Gao Zhisheng, lawyers
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