In the New York Times, Jonathan Mirksy writes about the arrest of Liu Xiaobo and freedom of expression in China:
Beijing does not engage in arguments. It simply bullies to discourage others. Zhang Zhixin, a young Chinese woman, was executed in 1975 for “opposing the Great Helmsman Chairman Mao, opposing Mao Zedong thought, opposing the revolutionary proletarian line and piling offense upon offense.” To ensure that Ms. Zhang could not cry out at her execution, her vocal cords were cut.
Mr. Liu’s indictment came on International Human Rights Day. But there’s nothing unique here. Recently, for example, a Chinese official explained why the government bans Wikipedia: “The strength of a small number of evil-doers will make Wikipedia into a platform spreading bad information and threatening state security and social stability.”
On a nationwide scale, there is the constant official inspection of the Chinese Internet for taboo words like Tiananmen, Taiwan, Dalai Lama — and democracy. Use of such words can bring a knock on the door and arrest.
