The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”
State Council Information Office: At least one person was murdered on August 15 in Al Township, Turpan, Xinjiang Province. Websites must not share related information. (August 18, 2013)
国新办：8月15日，新疆吐鲁番市亚尔乡发生一起凶杀案，致一人遇害，各网站不得转载相关消息。
The following reward notice from the Xinjiang Public Security Office was posted to the website Tianshannet on August 16:
Reward
At 10 p.m. on August 15, 2013, at least one person was murdered in Al Township, Turpan, Xinjiang Province. According to investigation and eyewitness accounts, the suspects appear as follows:
Suspect 1: Male, speaks Uyghur, about 20 years old. Approximately 1.7 m (5.6 ft) tall, well-proportioned build, no facial hair, long haircut. Wearing a black and yellow round-collared short-sleeved T-shirt at the time of the crime: shoulders, collar, and upper portion of the shirt are yellow, cuffs are black. Also wearing dark pants, blue and white sneakers.
Suspect 2: Male, speaks Uyghur, about 20 years old. Approximately 1.7 m (5.6 ft) tall, thin build, high hairline on either side of the temples. Wearing a black and gray round-collared short-sleeved T-shirt at the time of the crime: light gray lines across chest and sleeves. Also wearing dark pants and black ornament on the right wrist.
The masses are politely requested to actively supply leads and report the suspects. Public Security will offer a reward of RMB200,000 (USD32,664) to any estimable person or work unit which directly turns in a suspect whose identity is verified; and RMB100,000 (USD16,332) to any estimable person or work unit providing verifiable clues leading to the arrest of the suspects. The identity of those who report will be strictly protected. Public Security also urges the suspects to turn themselves in to the police, and encourages the family of the suspects to advise the suspects to turn themselves in. You will receive a lenient sentence [if you turn yourselves in].
Report phone: 110
Attached: Photo of the two suspects
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Public Security Office
August 16, 2013 [Source]
CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date on CDT Chinese is noted after the directives; 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.
