Keeping track of freedom of expression and access
Wikipedia and online petitions are hardly the things that make for good journalism but these two come together to press an important issue of freedom of speech and freedom of access to information.
On Wikipedia, it now appears that Beijing is allowing access to the consumer edited encyclopedia. But if you query it about Tibet or Tianamen Square, you are told the browser cannot connect to the Internet.
See the Reuters story.
On freedom of expression, China just sentences
Hu Jia was sentenced to 3 1/2 years for "inciting subversion of state power," which can -- and does -- mean anything from questioning a government decision to inciting a riot.
Hu was arrested after he posted items on the Internet questioning China's human rights record. He also was interviewed by a number of Western journalists.
Criticism from governments and independent freedom of expression groups were dismissed by Beijing as interference in the internal affairs of China.
A friend and collegue in Hong Kong passed me an Internet petition that denounces China's anti-human rights stance. Knowing that Internet petitions have no real impact, it is still intersting to see how Hong Kong Chinese are upset over the Hu sentence.
The petition follows.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/demand-immediate-release-of-beijing-human-rights-activist-hu-jia.html
We, the undersigned, call on the Chinese government to immediately release Beijing activist Hu Jia. We are deeply concerned that his detention was conducted in an illegal way by the national security officers in Beijing.
China is going to host the Beijing Olympics in summer this year (2008). It is important for the Chinese government to ensure the development of rule of law in China which was a pledge made by the Chinese government when it applied to host the international sports event in 2001.
We strongly believe that it can help make the international community understand that the Chinese government is genuinely concerned about the rule of law and human rights if it releases human rights activists like Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan who have merely been exercising their rights to carry out their human rights advocacy work in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, other laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China.
Thank you very much for your attention.
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Dan Kubiske