Related Articles
China has shut down the social media accounts of tons of of individuals just lately launched from jail in a bid to disclaim a web-based platform to “illegal and unethical” individuals, the nation’s audiovisual regulator mentioned.
The transfer targets “illegal content” produced by individuals who “fail to correct their political stances” after finishing a jail time period, based on an opinion article printed on the state-run China Information Service.
It should probably have a profound influence on political prisoners, who are sometimes prevented from working and placed under ongoing surveillance even after serving their time.
By Jan. 21, the State Administration of Radio, Movie and Tv’s on-line content material arm had shut down 222 accounts and “cleaned up” hundreds of things of content material “depicting the prison experience [and] questioning the national judicial system,” the report mentioned.
The purpose of the clampdown is to dam off former prisoners’ capability to “attract online traffic” or promote merchandise on-line, it mentioned, with out specifying what sort of sentences such prisoners had served.
On-line platforms Douyin, Kuaishou, Weibo, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu and Tencent had all cooperated in “investigation and reform” of their content material, it mentioned.
“All short videos released by the accounts of ex-prisoners were manually reviewed,” the report mentioned, including that 83 key phrases referring to launch from jail had been blocked, making it onerous for reside streamers to draw viewers of such content material.
Attempting to outlive
Dissident Xu Wanping, who has served a complete of 20 years in jail, mentioned many just lately launched prisoners have been sharing their experiences, or just promoting stuff on-line as a method to make a residing on their launch.
“They’re trying to address their basic need to exist following their release from jail, and society should pay more attention to how they are supposed to do that,” Xu advised RFA. “They should get more help and support.”
Acknowledged-backed information website The Paper cited an trade regulator as saying that the authorities try to cease individuals from “flaunting their experiences of crime or prison” on-line, or transmitting insider info to the general public.
Former college lecturer Gu Guoping, who has been repeatedly detained by the Shanghai police, mentioned those that get out of jail should not be disadvantaged of their rights.
“They are normal citizens and should therefore not be deprived of their right to speak,” Guo mentioned. “[Legally], a citizen has the right to freedom of expression.”
Beneath surveillance
In apply, that is seldom the case for former political prisoners, who’re held under surveillance at a location determined by the authorities, typically for years after their launch, and regularly prevented from earning a living.
Outstanding rights lawyer Tang Jitian was launched after greater than a yr of police detention on Jan. 14, displaying up in his birthplace within the northeastern province of Jilin, as a substitute of his house in Beijing, a typical apply for just lately launched political prisoners.
“I’ll try to keep doing what I can keep doing, but … I can’t say any more right now,” Tang advised RFA, saying it was “inconvenient” to talk, a phrase typically employed by individuals focused for official surveillance.
Tang’s buddy and fellow rights activist Xiang Li mentioned Tang had been despatched again to his parental hometown of Dunhua, Jilin, on the morning of Jan. 14 by the state safety police.
“I personally believe that … the state security police drove him to someplace in Dunhua, and then asked his family to come pick him up,” he mentioned.
Tang’s license to apply as a lawyer was revoked in 2010 after he campaigned for direct elections throughout the state-run Attorneys’ Affiliation, and represented practitioners of the banned Falun Gong non secular motion.
His buddy Zhao Zhongyuan mentioned his “release” doesn’t suggest he has his freedom again.
“No, that won’t happen, for sure,” Zhao mentioned. “Tang Jitian was already being monitored before he lost his freedom … the authorities have been monitoring him for many years, and they won’t let up.”
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
#asiannews #asian_news
