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Showing posts from February, 2017

Woman Sentenced to 18 Months Imprisonment for Tencent QQ Posts That Insulted Leaders and Policies

According to a judgment issued by the Jinzhou People's Court in December 2016 (translated below) a defendant, identified only as "Ms. Li," was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for posting information Tencent's QQ service that "spread rumors, stirred up trouble, confused public opinion, seduced the public, triggered severe chaos in public order, and exhibited a certain social perniciousness." Ms. Li was convicted of disturbing the peace (寻衅滋事 - often literally translated as "picking quarrels and provoking troubles"). The court did not specify what Ms. Li posted or how it created "severe chaos." The court did say that it included images and text that "insulted and vilified foreign and domestic heads of state, national leaders, and national religious policies as well as false information about major domestic incidents." The original decision is available on the court's website here:  http://wenshu.court.gov.cn/content/con

Man Sentenced to Six Months Imprisonment for Tencent Wechat Posts Defaming Xi Jinping

According to a judgment issued by the Ningling County People's Court in January 2017 (translated below) a defendant, identified only as "Mr. Yu,” was sentenced to six  months imprisonment for using Tencent’s Wechat service (also known as Weixin) to "fabricate facts, defame state leaders, and create a malicious influence." Mr. Yu was convicted of defamation. The court did not specify what Mr. Yu posted, but it did say that it “involved statements that defamed Comrade Chairman Xi Jinping.” The original decision is available on the court's website here: http://wenshu.court.gov.cn/content/content?DocID=3f0bf0a4-4077-4d28-8fba-a70d01576338 Mr. Yu Defamation Judgment in the Court of First Instance Ningling County People's Court Henan Province Criminal Judgment (2017) Yu 1423 Criminal First Instance No. 26 Public Prosecutorial Agency Ninling County People's Procuratorate. Defendant Mr. Yu, male, born January 12, 29189, Han, middle school edu

Man Given Ten Days in Jail for Tencent QQ Posts That "Openly Insulted Leaders of the Party and the State"

According to a judgment issued by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate People's Court in May 2014 (translated below) Cheng Huaishan was sentenced to ten days administrative detention for using Tencent’s QQ  service to post statements that “openly insulted leaders of the Party and the State.” Cheng’s sentence was imposed by officials at a local police station based their determination that he had violated China’s “Public Security Administrative Punishment Law.” The original decision is available on the court's website here: http://wenshu.court.gov.cn/content/content?DocID=4da8571c-ab9c-4a47-beec-4437e63bb700 Cheng Huaishan vs. Jiangsu Kunshan Public Security Bureau Administrative Security et. al. Administrative Judgment in the Court of First Instance Jiangsu Kunshan People's Court Administrative Judgment (2014) Kun Admin First Instance No. 0015 Plaintiff Cheng Huaishan Defendant Kunshan Public Security Bureau, located at No. 1288, Qianjin West Road, Kun

Man Given Five Days in Jail for Tencent Wechat Posts That "Openly Insulted National Leaders."

According to a judgment issued by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate People's Court in December 2015 (translated below) Guo Jianhe was sentenced to five days administrative detention for using Tencent’s Wechat service (also known as Weixin) to post statements that “openly insulted national leaders.” Guo's sentence was imposed by officials at a local police station based their determination that he had violated China’s “Public Security Administrative Punishment Law.” The court did not specify what Guo posted. The original decision is available on the court's website here: http://wenshu.court.gov.cn/content/content?DocID=d1ffe665-32b2-4465-8ac4-2979c1e43143 Guo Jianhe vs. Guangzhou Yuexiu District Public Security Bureau et. al. Administrative Judgment in the Court of Second Instance Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate People's Court, Guangdong Province Administrative Judgment (2015) Sui Intermediate Administrative Final Judgment No. 1374 Appellant (origin

China Professor Decries Political Censorship by "Foreign Company" Tencent

On July 18, 2016, the state sponsored Global Times published an article entitled " Scholar Wants Foreign Capital Expelled From China’s Social Media ." Some excerpts: Zhang Hongliang, a professor at Beijing's Minzu University of China, said on his WeChat account on Saturday that he is preparing to sue Chinese Internet titan Tencent for yielding to commercial pressure to "arbitrarily" block public WeChat posts. Tencent - WeChat's parent company, whose largest shareholder is MIH Group, a subsidiary of South African media group Naspers - recently threatened to shut down Zhang's public account when he released a post denouncing Chinese specialty beverage maker JDB Group Ltd for defaming war hero Qiu Shaoyun, Zhang said. . . . . Many people share Zhang's worries, especially after posts and comments criticizing actress-turned-director Zhao Wei for inviting a suspected Taiwan separatist to act in her new movie - including posts by the Central Committee

Baidu and Alibaba Ban Some Taiwan and Hong Kong Artists

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Wu Nien-jen (吴念真) is a scriptwriter, director, and author from Taiwan. This screenshot was taken on January 24, 2017, and shows that search for his name on Baidu’s PostBar (Tieba 贴吧) forum returns a notice that says: “Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum cannot be opened at this time” (抱歉,根据相关法律法规和政策,本吧暂不开放). Link: http://tieba.baidu.com/f?ie=utf-8&kw=%E5%90%B4%E5%BF%B5%E7%9C%9F Bobby Chen (陈升) is a singer and record producer from Taiwan.  This screenshot was taken on January 24, 2017, and shows that search for his name on Baidu’s PostBar (Tieba 贴吧) forum returns a notice that says: “Apologies, in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, this forum cannot be opened at this time” (抱歉,根据相关法律法规和政策,本吧暂不开放). Link: http://tieba.baidu.com/f?ie=utf-8&kw=%E9%99%88%E5%8D%87 Hindsight (光景消逝) is a band based in Taiwan. This screenshot was taken on January 24, 2017, and shows that a search for its name on Alibab