China Free Press

Central Propaganda Department Launches New "Strike Hard" Campaign Against Media

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:48:23 PST

The Propaganda Department of the Communist Party Central Committee recently convened a meeting to launch a new media crackdown. The meeting focused on the directive of the Politburo that 2009 will be a year of both economic and political difficulty. The Politburo cited intelligence from both the Ministry of State Security and the Peoples Liberation Army General Staff Headquarters that 2009 would witness a high tide of anti-China activity both domestically and internationally. The Chinese government faces a serious challenge and crisis, and all preparatory and defensive measures must be taken.

Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers Petition Letter to Beijing Lawyers Association (BLA)

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:24:44 PST

We write on behalf of the Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers to express our deep concern about reports of lawyers in China who are being intimidated after they called for the direct election of officials in the Beijing Lawyers Association (BLA). Our objective is not to support or oppose the direct election of the leaders of the BLA; that is entirely an internal matter between you and your members. We do, however, seek your assistance in investigating these reports and protecting any lawyers who are being intimidated for expressing their views.

Citizen Watchdog Guo Yongfeng's House Searched and Family Threatened

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:52:13 PST

Self-appointed citizen government watchdog Guo Yongfeng today at 9 a.m. had 8 officials from the Shenzhen Bureau of Civil Affairs search his house. Two computers were confiscated and Guo, his wife, and his daughter were interrogated.

Home Demolition Murder in Shandong Province Yantai City: One Dead One Seriously Wounded, Corpse Expropriated by Police (Video)

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:30:08 PST

Dying to defend one's home is a solemn matter. In fact, even dying is sometimes not enough to protect one's home. This event took place in Shandong Province's Yantai City Laishan District Sunjiatan Village.

On Tuesday November 25 at 1 a.m. organized crime thugs were hired to again attempt to expel the Sun family and demolish their home. More than 50 thugs arrived in large and small vans and autos. They were armed with machetes, iron pipes, wooden batons, ladders, etc. They beat up everyone in the Sun family's house.

20th Anniversary of June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Military Crackdown Commemoration Activity Participant List

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:49:06 PST

20th Anniversary of June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Military Crackdown Commemoration Activity Participant List

Family Requests Rights Lawyer Chen Guangcheng be Released for Medical Treatment

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:58:40 PST

November 28 was visiting day at Shandong Province's Linyi Prison. Because she is under house arrest, Mrs. Yuan Weijing was not able to visit her imprisoned husband blind rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng for the 14th month in a row. But the rest of the family visited him and reported on his deteriorating medical condition. He has been suffering from diarrhea for the past four months, and his body weight has dramatically decreased. The family has urgently called on the prison authorities to allow Chen to be released on bail for a medical examination and treatment.

Yang Jia's Case: It's Not About the Truth

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:24:45 PST

Yang Jia's Case: It's Not About the Truth
by Liu Di

http://canyu.org/n4325c6.aspx

The Communist Party's Crisis

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:25:16 PST

The November issue of Hong Kong's Zhengming ["Contention"] magazine states that President Hu Jintao made a secret report to the Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party, offering a grim estimate of the unprecedented crisis facing the CPC. Zhengming reports are at times unreliable, but I don't think this was based on mere hearsay evidence. Part of the evidence was that after the plenary session, the CPC carried out unprecedented emergency training of Party secretaries from thousands of counties convened at the National Central Party School. Jingji guancha bao [Economic Observer] reported on 1 December that an important content in the training for county party secretaries was how to deal with emergencies like that in Weng'an. This showed that Hu's secret report was not scare talk, but an emergency mobilisation order to the whole party, to deal with an unprecedented crisis. So what did Hu Jintao actually say? Zhengming magazine revealed that Hu's secret report cited eighteen major political, economic and social problems in China.

Shanghai Rights Defenders Du Yangming, Tian Baocheng Released From Prison, Recount Cruel Treatment in Prison

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:57:22 PST

On Monday December 1, 2008, Shanghai rights defenders Du Yangming and Tian Baocheng were released from prison after both serving 2 1/2 years for the trumped-up charge of "disturbing public order."

Media Commentary on Mass Incidents

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:59:29 PST

"A small group of people with ulterior motives," "masses out of touch with the facts" and "evil forces plotting behind the scenes," ... in recent times, at the start of some quite large mass incidents, local governments have been constantly rushing to make these sorts of statements. Such "self-fulfilling definitions" were in evidence at the beginning of the "Weng'an incident" in Guizhou, the "Menglian incident" in Yunnan and, more recently the "Longnan incident" in Gansu.

Chongqing Political Dissident Zhang Qi Secretly Arrested

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:30:26 PST

On May 16, 25-year-old political dissident and Union of Chinese Nationalists (Mainland supporters of Taiwan's Nationalist Party) member Zhang Qi was detained for "suspicion to incite the subversion of state power." On June 20 a Chongqing branch procuratorate approved the arrest, but the charge was changed to "illegal possession of state secrets." It is reported that the grounds for this charge is a group picture including Zhang Qi in front of a discarded military tank.

Toxic Wheat Flour Found Throughout China

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:32:35 PST

Just as the Chinese government launched a propaganda campaign emphasizing that small amounts of melamine in food is not necessarily dangerous, some mainland media revealed that toxic brightening agents containing peroxide have been used in Chinese wheat flour for more than 20 years. The chemicals used were long ago banned in Europe and the U.S. It is in this context that the campaign to downplay the danger of melamine can be understood. There is a real threat that the whole Chinese food industry could collapse.

Belgian TV journalist and his crew assaulted while reporting on Aids

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:50:05 PST

Reporters Without Borders today voiced dismay after Belgian journalist, Tom Van de Weghe, and his team from Flemish public television VRT were attacked and robbed by men recruited by the authorities in Henan province, central China as they reported on Aids in China.

Political Reform Activist, Legal Scholar He Weifang Loses His Job

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:27:42 PST

Renowned professor of legal studies and political reform advocate He Weifang has lost his job due to increased political pressure. Several months ago He Weifang resigned his professorship at Beijing University. He had been offered the directorship of the Guanghua Law School at Zhejiang University, but because of high level political pressure Zhejiang University has rescinded their offer. Professor He has therefore returned to his home in Beijing.

Southern Metropolis Daily Criticizes Coverup of Deadly Shenzhen Fire

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:23:31 PST

The September 20 fire which killed 44 and injured 88, after more than two months, has finally been blamed on no higher an authority than a local police bureau chief. This obvious corrupt coverup has aroused the indignation of Shenzhen citizens. Today--Thursday November 27--Southern Metropolis Daily published an editorial--"The Truth Behind the September 20 Fire Has Yet to Be Revealed"--protesting the coverup of the true circumstances behind the fire.

Behind the Scenes details about Beijing's decision to outlaw Falungong

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:01:50 PST

Behind the Scenes details about Beijing's decision to outlaw Falungong by an informed source.

A pre-1999 investigation of Falungong suggested it was not much of a threat ideologically but that the extent of its penetration into party, government, and military spheres was alarming.

Yang Jia Executed, Communist Party Poisoned

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:51:38 PST

On Tuesday November 25 Xinhua reported that the Supreme Peoples Court had confirmed Yang Jia's death sentence, and on Wednesday November 26 the execution was carried out. In the end they did not even let his mother see him one last time. This resulted in much scorn on the Chinese blogosphere. In fact this is standard practice for China's capital punishment. When the death sentence is ratified the executioners have already moved into action.

My Visit to See Hu Jia

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:46:01 PST

Last week the police came to see us. They seemed anxious, but I was exhausted and did not have enough energy to talk long.

After, they went to see Hu Jia's parents. They learned that Hu Jia is aware he was awarded this year's Sakharov Human Rights prize. On Thursday Hu Jia's parents met alone with Hu Jia.

Yang Jia, Shanghai Police Killing Convict, is Executed in Shanghai

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:23:41 PST

In accordance with the decree of the Supreme Peoples Court, surprise attack murder convict Yang Jia's death sentence was carried out on the morning of Wednesday November 26, 2008.

The Chengdu writer Chen Daojun was sentenced on November 21 to three years of imprisonment for "inciting to subvert state power." Here in English translation is one of his essays from March.

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:56:16 PST

The Chengdu writer Chen Daojun was sentenced on November 21 to three years of imprisonment for "inciting to subvert state power." Here in English translation is one of his essays from March.