The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
State Council Information Office: Delete all online news on the case of Liu Ping and the rest of the three people who held up signs in Xinyu, Jiangxi province—especially news related to the comments and actions of their lawyers. Strictly control interactive spaces. (December 6 ,2013)
国新办：全网删除江西新余刘萍等三人举牌案的信息，特别是有关代理律师的活动和言论的信息，严格控制互动环节。
New Citizens’ Movement activists Liu Ping, Wei Zhongping, and Li Shua were detained in May after posting pictures of themselves holding signs calling for government officials to publicly disclose their personal assets (recently, the central government launched its own pilot program aimed at forming asset disclosure requirements). The three stood trial this week for the second time on charges of illegal assembly—the original court proceedings were aborted amid alleged unfair trial conditions. The activists’ lawyers were reportedly attacked outside of the courtroom on Wednesday, and one attorney resigned to protest the hostile conditions. The trial in Xinyu closed today, though no verdict was announced. Human Rights in China has translated the final statement that Liu delivered in court today.
Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”
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.
