Sunday, December 1, 2013

Newspaper Deletes Story Detailing Punishment for Petitioners Going to Tiananmen, Zhongnanhai, Embassies

On November 23, 2013, the Yanzhao Evening News (燕赵晚报 - published by the Shijiazhuang Daily Group) published an article entitled "Anyone Going to Tiananmen and Other Venues to Petition Will be Punished" (到天安门广场等地区 非法上访将被处罚). Some excerpts:
Recently the Shijiazhuang Public Security Bureau issued its "Implementing Opinion Regarding Punishing in Accordance with Law Criminal Acts Committed During the Course of Petitioning." . . . . 
As explained, the Implementing Opinion includes specific provisions regarding illegal activities conducted during the course of petitioning: anyone going to any important areas that are not petition receiving venues, such as Tiananmen Square, around Zhongnanhai, foreign embassy districts, and residences of central leaders, as well as anyone who goes to a foreign embassy district to "report a situation to foreigners," will be subject to administrative punishment by public security agencies in accordance with the "Law on Administrative Penalties for Public Security." 
Anyone who puts up posters, distributes materials, yells slogans, displays banners, wears clothing with statements, displays complaint forms, illegally assembles, or does anything else to disturb order in a public venue shall, if officials of relevant state agencies find dissuasion, criticism, and education ineffective, be punished in accordance with the provisions of public security management. Where such behavior constitutes a crime, criminal sanctions will be imposed in accordance with law. 
近日,石市公安局出台《关于依法处置信访活动中违法犯罪行为的实施意见》。。 。 。 
据介绍,实施意见对信访活动中的违法行为进行了明确规定:到天安门广场、中南海周边、外国驻华使馆区和中央领导人驻地等非信访接待场所重点地区上访的,到外国使馆区“告洋状”的,公安机关将依照《治安管理处罚法》予以行政处罚。 
对在车站、码头、商场、公园、广场等公共场所张贴、散发材料,呼喊口号,打横幅,穿着状衣、出示状纸,或非法聚集等扰乱公共场所秩序,经有关国家机关工作人员劝阻、批评和教育无效的,按规定予以治安管理处罚,构成犯罪的,依法追究刑事责任。
These screenshots show that the article was deleted from the Shijiazhuang Daily web site.
The following day the entire page was removed from the web site, but it can still be found in PDF format.
 These screenshots show the article was also deleted from the Shijiazhuang government web site.
These screenshots show that the article was also deleted from the Xinhua web site.
These screenshots show that Sina Weibo was censoring searches for "Tiananmen Petition," but not "Tiananmen" or "Petition."

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