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Showing posts from September, 2013

Bo Xilai Found Guilty of Corruption - A Chronicle of Censorship of the Case

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The following is a timeline of the events and censorship leading up to Bo Xilai's conviction. 2007 Wang Lijun (王立军), then police chief of the city of Jinzhou in northeast China's Liaoning Province, first meets Bogu Kailai (薄谷开来), wife of Bo Xilai (薄熙来). 2009 April : While Wang was serving as the chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, one of Wang's immediate family members was transferred to a working position in Beijing. Not having a residence in Beijing, Wang's relative received two apartments in Beijing bought by Xu Ming (徐明), board chairman of the Dalian Shide Group Co. Ltd. (大连实德集团有限公司) at a price of 2.85 million yuan (449,583 U.S. dollars). The apartments were registered under the name of Wang's father-in-law. After the deal, Wang gave his thanks to Xu in person. 2010 May : The state-sponsored Hualong website publishes a report entitled "42 National Internet Media CEOs Sign 'Hongyan Declaration' In Chongqing" (全国42家网络

Weibo User "Boss Hua" Questioned by Police, China's Weibos and (Most) Search Engines Censor His Name

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On June 26, 2012, the state-sponsored Global Times published an article entitled " Not So Authentic ." Some excerpts: A door was half open at 10 am Wednesday, in a dark corridor of a tall office building beside the East Third Ring Road in Beijing. It was the China Office of the World Luxury Association (WLA), but no logo could be found on the door. Inside the small office with only three rooms, seven people were idly browsing the Internet. "We took off our logo a few days ago," a staff member who declined to be named told the Global Times. The association has recently been the subject of much debate about its real background and legality. . . . . An Internet user named Huazong, who has an Internet company and is good at online information research including domain name registration, started an investigation into the real background of the WLA last month. He never expected that it would lead to death threats. "The domain name of the WLA's website, www.wor

Baidu, Sina, and Tencent Censor Searches Relating to Wang Gongquan's Detention

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On September 14, 2013, the state-sponsored Global Times published an editorial in English and Chinese entitled " Unconditional Support for Wang is Imprudent "( 为王功权无条件背书有违法律精神 ). Some excerpts: Well-known venture capitalist and billionaire investor Wang Gongquan was detained by police in Beijing Friday. . . . . Since Friday afternoon, some liberals have begun to voice support for Wang, and asserted that he is completely innocent and being "politically persecuted" for his outspoken comments online.  Several liberals have started to collect signatures on Weibo and completely politicized the incident. They claimed that China is at "the most dangerous moment," and warned that police authorities "should not irritate the public." . . . . We believe such an unconditional endorsement based on value judgment is not appropriate. . . . . Currently some liberals are seeking to build a public opinion atmosphere where anyone in their camp being sent to co