Tuesday, December 15, 2015

On Day of Pu Zhiqiang's Trial, Sina Weibo Begins Censoring "Pu Zhiqiang"

On December 9, 2015, Hu Xijin (胡锡进), editor of the state sponsored Global Times, published an editorial under his pen name “Shan Renping” (单仁平) entitled “The Verdict in the Pu Zhiqiang Case Will not be Determined by the West” (浦志强案怎么判不可能由西方定调). Some excerpts:
Pre-trial hearings in the Pu Zhiqiang case convened on December 9, and observers expect the case will go to trial. Pu was arrested in May of last year, and in May of this year the Beijing Procuratorate No. 2 Branch filed an indictment with the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court charging him on suspicion of committing the crimes of inciting ethnic hatred and picking quarrels.
. . . .
Objectively speaking, the Pu Zhiqiang case is difficult to judge, because Pu Zhiqiang is himself a lawyer,  has long-held political passions, and is a figure who has called for structural changes in Chinese society and public discourse. His statements about social governance clearly constitute a kind of disruptive force, and as this kind of disruptive force takes place as China is becoming a post-Internet era society, it has become a new form of challenge to the authority of the law.

浦志强案8日举行庭前会议，预示着该案即将进入庭审。浦于去年5月被刑拘，今年5月北京市检察二分院以涉嫌煽动民族仇恨罪、寻衅滋事罪依法向北京市第二中级人民法院提起公诉。
. . . .
客观说，浦志强的案子挺难判的，原因是浦志强身为律师，却长期热衷政治，是中国社会及舆论场上反体制的号召性人物之一。他的言行对社会治理明显构成了某种破坏力，这种破坏力发生在中国进入互联网时代后的新社会现实之中，形成挑战法律权威的新形式。
On December 14, 2015, the state sponsored International Business Times reported that Pu’s trial was held at 9 am that morning at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court.

These screenshots show that on the afternoon of December 14, Sina Weibo began censoring searches for “Pu Zhiqiang.”


On December 23, 2015, the Global Times published a report entitled "Pu Zhiqiang Reunites With Family, Won’t Appeal." Some excerpts:
A Chinese civil rights lawyer given a suspended three-year prison term on Tuesday for inciting ethnic hatred and provoking trouble will not appeal, one of his attorneys said.

Pu Zhiqiang was sentenced by the Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court a week after he was tried.
. . . .
According to the Xinhua News Agency, which cited the court, Pu, 50, had admitted to the charges and showed regret. The court had, therefore, decided on a lenient sentence.

One of Pu's lawyers, Shang Baojun, previously confirmed with the Global Times that the prosecutors cited seven of Pu's Weibo posts as evidence. Among them, four were used as evidence to prove he was inciting ethnic hatred and three for provoking trouble.
. . . .
The court said Tuesday that Pu continued to post inflammatory content despite warnings from website administrators, and that his behavior proves he intended to fan ethnic hatred, according to Xinhua.

The court also said Pu's insulting posts, which had been reposted some 900 times and received over 500 comments, caused disorder in cyberspace and negative social impact, leading the court to believe his behavior had constituted the crime of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble."
Here are the seven posts.

Posts that Created a Disturbance (尋鮮滋事的)

July 29, 2011
The old lady's press conference was boring, but the reporters have their assurances. She certainly demonstrated: Wang Yongping is an exceptional spokesperson for the Ministry of Railways. In any case I believe: In spite of everything the Railways Ministry allowed you to ask about how last July PetroChina blew Dalian to kingdom come. On the anniversary this year they set another huge fire to commemorate it, but wouldn't tell you about it. Fortunately the old lady is a just a sow, because if they had sent the rabid dog he would have asked you: "who do you work for?" "Your boss and I are close, why don't you let me play around with your recorder?"

我老姐新闻发布会无聊，但记者人身有保障。她还证明：铁道部发言人王勇平真优秀，反正我信：铁道部毕竟让你问，中石油去年七一好悬把大连炸飞。今年周年搞纪念又放把大火，就不跟你说，还好老姐是母猪，换只疯狗就该问你：‘你哪个单位的？你老总跟我熟啊，录音笔带我玩玩儿？’
January 31, 2013
Beyond their luck and bloodlines, Shen Jilan and Mao Yuxin became a National People's Congress representative and a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference member, respectively, by playing the fool and being actual fools. This explains how it doesn't take much to be on the NPC or the CPPCC, a person who wants to be a fish in those waters just needs to play the fool or be an actual fool. I hold no hope for Mao's intelligence, and so can only plead with the old lady Shen that life is ephemeral, death eternal, and we'd all be better off if you just died! You are 84 years old and have been a representative for 60 years, the end of the road is not far off, so why not take the opportunity to die in battle and hoodwink the NPC into declaring you a martyr.

除了运气和血统，申纪兰当代表，毛新宇当委员，靠装傻和真傻。这说明人大政协啥也不是，人想如鱼得水，要么装傻，要么真傻。我不奢望毛委员聪明，只好祈求申老太活著轻于鸿毛，死去重于泰山，您一死了之该多好啊！您都84了当60年代表，终于到坎儿上了，趁机马革裹尸讹人大追封个烈女如何。
July 26, 2013
Why wouldn't China Work Without the Communist Party?" Who the hell should why it wouldn't work?! Other than the lies and deceptions and waving and hammer and sickle, what the hell is the mysterious secret to this Party's hold on power? I'll tell you Xiang Ping: China would be just fine without anyone, so quit your patronizing finger-pointing. This is "a book every Chinese person should read"? It is simply shameless of you to publish this kind of rag! If Wu Hongfei hadn’t just been hauled in, your ancestors would be getting violated! Having to read your stuff sickens me! Ugh!

没有共产党，为什么不行？”我他吗的哪儿知道为什么不行？！除了瞒骗推拖斧头镰刀，这个党有他妈什么执政奥秘？我告诉你项平：中国没谁都行，少他妈的给爷指道儿，还“一本中国人应该读的书”？你写出这种破书，简直就是无耻之尤！要不是吴虹飞进去了，你的祖宗也会受性侵的！你让我看着就特恶心！哼！
Posts that Incited Ethnic Hatred (煽动民族仇恨的)

January 25, 2012
Under the "Nine Haves" temples in the Tibetan regions have to hang up images of the leaders Mao, Deng, Jiang, and Hu, and in Yining Muslims are forbidden to grow beards or wear veils, stringing together a series of attacks, calling it diluting religious consciousness, is this Han people losing their minds? Or is it the leaders of the Han people losing their minds?

藏区要寺庙“九有”，要挂毛邓江胡领袖像，伊宁禁穆斯林留胡子和戴面纱，连串组合拳打出，号称淡化宗教意识，是汉人头疯了？还是汉人的头儿疯了？！
January 25, 2012
Yining has completely banned Muslims from wearing veils, calling it diluting religious consciousness, have Han people gone completely insane?

伊宁已全面禁止穆斯林待面纱，号称淡化宗教意识，汉人全疯了？
March 2, 2014
The Kunming incident was so bloody, and the murderers' crimes were profound. If you would say that Xinjiang independence has created terror, to this I would give credence. But this is an effect, not a cause. Such grievous death and injury, such an unbearable outcome, but I cannot be satisfied with you just giving me a single statement saying that is the savagery of Xinjiang independence and you bear no responsibility. Day after day saying the Party's policies are Yakexi [meaning "Good" in Uighur], that the hearts of Uighur people are with the Party, then why this bloodbath? Wang Lequan, as president of the China Law Society you have suppressed and pacified the western regions for over ten years, so you know better than anyone, so tell me: Why? Who was being attacked?

昆明时间太血腥，凶手罪孽深重。说疆独制造恐怖，这回我信，但这是结果，不是原因。死伤极惨重，后果太不堪，你就给了我一句话，说疆独凶残你没责任，我不满意。天天说党的政策亚克西，维吾尔人心向党，就这么血肉横飞？法学会会长王乐泉，你镇抚西域十几年，那儿你最熟悉，告诉我：为什么？冲谁来的？
May 1, 2014
There is no land on earth that is not the King's soil, there is no man on earth who is not the King's subject. If you would say Xinjiang is China's, then do not treat it like a colony, do not act as conquerors and plunderers. Whether you dominate the enemy by striking first, or master the enemy though clever counterattacks, it all adds up to treating the other side as an enemy and creating preposterous national policies. This has been gelling for some time and old habits die hard, so some incidents will unavoidable. So long as people remain unafraid of dying it will be futile to use the fear of death. The attackers long to become martyrs for Allah, so who is going to be frightened whether you attack or counterattack? Xinjiang policies need adjusting.

普天之下莫非王土，率土之滨莫非王臣，说新疆是中国的，就别把它当殖民地，别当征服者和掠夺者，先发制人后发制人都爲制人，都是把对方当敌人，都是荒谬的国策。冰冻三尺积重难返，免不了会在出事，只要民不畏死，以死惧之就没用，袭击者渴望成爲真主的烈士，先发后发能吓唬谁呀？新疆政策该调整了。
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