Censorship in China
Freedom from Censorship!
"We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China," Wang Wei, Secretary General of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, said in the China Daily in 2001. "We are confident that the Games coming to China not only promotes our economy but also enhances all social conditions, including education, health and human rights." Yet despite a recent relaxation for foreign journalists, China's commitment to "complete media freedom" continues to be compromised by an ongoing crackdown on individual journalists, newspapers and websites. Around 30 journalists and 50 internet users are known to be behind bars.
More information on Human Rights in China >>
Amnesty International is calling on the Chinese authorities to ensure that the greater reporting freedom afforded to foreign journalists is extended equally to the domestic media. The authorities should cease the unwarranted censorship of broadcast, print and online media in China and take urgent measures to prevent the arbitrary detention, harassment and unfair dismissal of reporters and journalists in violation of their rights to freedom of expression.
The Great Firewall of China
Since the introduction of the internet in 1994, the Chinese government has sought to control its content and to censor information it deems sensitive. With more than 162 million internet users, experts believe China operates the most extensive, technologically sophisticated and broad-reaching system of internet filtering in the world.
Freedom for All Not Some
On 1 January 2007, new temporary regulations for foreign journalists took effect in China stating that: "to interview organizations or individuals in China, foreign journalists need only to obtain their prior consent." Uncertainty remains as to whether these welcome regulations also apply to the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. And while foreign journalists may temporarily have more freedom to conduct interviews in China, restrictions over the domestic distribution of their reports and control over the domestic Chinese media have been tightened.
Want more information? Download an issue brief (PDF) about censorship in China.
Featured Case: SHI Tao
Shi Tao was sentenced to 10 years in prison for using his Yahoo! email account to send a message to a US-based website summarizing a government communiqué about the 15th anniversary of the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement of 1989.
Want to learn more and take action on behalf of Shi Tao?
- Download a casesheet (PDF) with letter-writing action
- Download a petition (PDF) to Wu Aiying, Minister of Justice of the People's Republic of China.
- Download a postcard (PDF) to Zhuo Qiang, Governor of the Hunan Provincial People's Government.
Featured Case: HUANG Jinqiu
Huang Jinqiu is serving a 12-year sentence for "subversion" in connection with his "reactionary" online writings. In 2003 he announced online that he planned to establish the China Patriotic Democracy Party.
Want to learn more and take action on behalf of Huang Jinqiu?
- Download a casesheet (PDF) with letter-writing action.
- Download a petition (PDF) to Wu Aiying, Minister of Justice of the People's Republic of China.
- Download a postcard (PDF) to Liang Baohua, Governor of the Jiangsu People's Government.
Featured Case: YANG Tongyan
Yang Tongyan is a freelance writer who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006 for "subversion." His conviction was based on his writings in support of political and democratic change in China.
Want to learn more and take action on behalf of Yang Tongyan?
