The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
Take note and delete the following essays/articles and related content:
1) Li Chengpeng’s “Speak.”
2) Murong Xuecun’s “Statement of Surrender.” (July 13, 2014)
注意查删以下文章和有关内容：
1, 李承鹏《说话》
2, 慕容雪村《投案书》
Outspoken social commentator Li Chengpeng recently saw his widely followed Weibo and blog accounts deleted from Sina. Li’s ouster from the world of Chinese social media comes as the central government has been steadily reigning in control over online public opinion during the past year, and state-run media issued editorials warning liberal intellectuals to know the “boundaries” of allowable expression on the Internet. Netizens scorned Li’s expulsion and the following state media commentary. In 2012, Li read the essay “Speak” (on the erosion of free speech in China, translated in full by Liz Carter) to Beijing University students.
Another public intellectual, writer Murong Xuecun, has recently been in the spotlight. Last weekend, Murong released a “Statement of Surrender,” standing true to his previous promise to turn himself in to police after returning to China from a trip abroad. Murong Xuecun had been in Australia during the May 3 Tiananmen commemoration event that three of his friends were later detained for attending, but an essay he wrote for the gathering was read in his absence. The author did spend last Tuesday night in police custody, and later told the New York Times details about his brief time in detention.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.
