As of August 15, the following search terms were blocked on Sina Weibo (not including the “search for user” function).
Gao Zhisheng: The renowned human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was released from prison last week after serving nearly three years for “inciting subversion of state power.” His wife, Geng He, says that Gao was tortured in prison, and is now malnourished and psychologically traumatized.
- 高智晟: Gao Zhisheng
- 维权律师: rights defense lawyer–First block detected on May 14, 2013.
- 良心犯: prisoner of conscience–First block detected on October 27, 2011.
Kidney Trafficking: 40 people were tried in Nanchang, Jiangxi last month for involvement in a human kidney trafficking ring. 12 received sentences of two to nine years in prison. The Nanfang covers the story of one man who sold his kidney through the illegal ring for 25,000 RMB (4,067 USD).
- 找肾源: find source of kidneys
- 提供肾源: provide source of kidneys
Also Blocked:
- Tohti–Uyghur professor Ilham Tohti has been formally charged with separatism after months in detention. Tohti rejects the charge.
- 伊力哈木: Ilham–First block detected on January 17, 2014.
- 邓小平＋坦克: Deng Xiaoping + tank–A new CCTV drama on Deng Xiaoping ends in 1984, five years before Deng orchestrated a military crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in the capital.
- 四环＋枪声: Fourth Ring [Road] + gunfire–85 people were arrested in Beijing last week for spreading a rumor that gunfire could be heard “once again” on Beijing’s Fourth Ring Road [Chinese].
- 克强＋艾滋: [Li] Keqiang + AIDS
- 总理＋艾滋: premier + AIDS
- 铁流: Tie Liu–A former editor of the Chengdu Daily, Tie was arrested in 1957 for being a “rightist” and spent 23 years in a “reform through labor” (laogai) prison.
- 保守派: conservative party
- 窑洞党: cave party–i.e. the Chinese Communist Party, which was based in the cave-dwelling city of Yan’an, Shaanxi from 1936 to 1948.
- 爱国家不等于爱朝廷: love of country is not the same as love of government
All Chinese-language words are tested using simplified characters. The same terms in traditional characters occasionally return different results.
CDT Chinese runs a project that crowd-sources filtered keywords on Sina Weibo search. CDT independently tests the keywords before posting them, but some searches later become accessible again. We welcome readers to contribute to this project so that we can include the most up-to-date information.
Have a sensitive word tip? Submit it to CDT through this form:
