4 June 2003

INTERNET DISSIDENTS ISSUED HARSH JAIL TERMS


The Chinese government's continued clampdown on Internet free expression has spurred international condemnation after four men were sentenced to prison last week for 8-10 years on subversion charges. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) are calling for the immediate release of Xu Wei, Jin Haike, Yang Zili and Zhang Honghai, calling the verdict ridiculous and a clear breach of international human rights standards.

The four men, all recent college graduates, belonged to a study group that met to discuss economic reform, social inequalities and rural issues, CPJ says. They circulated articles on the Internet, including two essays titled "Be a new citizen, reform China" and "What's to be Done?" Prosecutors claimed them as evidence of a plot to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party and subvert the regime, adds CPJ.

The four writers have been detained since 13 March 2001 while awaiting a verdict. One of them, Xu Wei, says he was beaten and tortured while in detention, RSF notes.

Forty-two Internet dissidents are currently imprisoned in China, says RSF. A recent RSF report on Internet censorship concluded that Internet sites, including those run or financed by international companies such as Yahoo!, had become tools of the Chinese police, who use sophisticated surveillance technologies to monitor citizens? messages and Internet activities.


READ: the RSF report "Living Dangerously on the Net": http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=6793
ACT:

- Visit Human Rights Watch's website and write letters in support of jailed Internet dissidents: http://www.hrw.org/advocacy/internet/dissidents/
- Sign an online petition on RSF's website: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=67
Visit these links:

- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2003/China28may03na.html
- Digital Freedom Network: http://dfn.org/focus/china/chinanetreport.htm
- Human Rights in China: http://www.hrichina.org/


Volume 12 - 2003 Issue 22 (3 Jun. 2003) 4 June 2003 INTERNET DISSIDENTS ISSUED HARSH JAIL TERMS 4 June 2003

China

New ban on reporting tainted milk scandal 4 February 2010 Internet still not restored in Xinjiang 1 February 2010 Microsoft should not undermine efforts to combat censorship, says Human Rights Watch 28 January 2010 Detained PEN officer Zhao Shiying released; new cyber attack targets Independent Chinese PEN Center 27 January 2010 Journalists warned over hacked Gmail accounts 20 January 2010


Asia and Pacific

SRI LANKA: Two MTV network journalists assaulted 9 February 2010 BURMA: Internet cafes ordered to keep tabs on customers 9 February 2010 THAILAND: Thai police, soldiers raid Karen media office 9 February 2010 VIETNAM: Writer sentenced to three and a half years in prison on trumped-up assault charge 8 February 2010 PAKISTAN: Twelve journalists injured in bomb blast 8 February 2010