Saturday, May 31, 2014

Sina Weibo Begins Censoring “Hu Yaobang” As 25th Anniversary of the Clearing of Tiananmen Square Nears

On April 16, 2014, the state sponsored Global Times published an editorial entitled “Tribute to Hu Veils Value Differences” (请莫用胡耀邦英名反对他忠诚的事业). Some excerpts:
For reasons known to all, Hu is rarely mentioned in the Chinese media. Remarks about him that frequently appear on the Internet are often swayed away from official line, given that some either intentionally quoted Hu out of context or reevaluated Hu based on their own values.
. . . .
When commemorating the 90th anniversary of Hu's birth, the authorities praised his glorious life while circumventing the political controversy of his later years. It's right to do so. Hu has been written into the history of the nation and the Party as absolutely a positive spirit. Avoiding controversy shows not only respect for Hu but also a responsibility for the course of the Party and the country. This is also the case with judging other late Chinese leaders, one of the prerequisites to ensure Chinese society keeps moving forward.
. . . .
Those who oppose the leadership of the Party and who trumpet that China should copy the Western political model had better keep away from Hu's name.

由于众所周知的原因,中国官方提到胡耀邦的时候总的来说并不多,然而这并未影响社会对这位个性鲜明、富有魅力政治家缅怀的畅行。互联网上经常谈到他,只是令人遗憾的是,其中一些谈论者喜欢断章取义摘录他的几句话,或者出于各自的价值观对他另作评价,它们常常远离官方的阐述。
. . . .
官方纪念他90周年诞辰时,讲述了他伟大光荣的一生,同时回避了他晚年主政时的争议,这样做也是正确的。中国在前进,胡耀邦已经作为绝对正面的精神力量载入中国和中共史册,不争议是对他本人的崇敬,也是对党和国家事业的负责任态度。
. . . .
那些鼓吹中国照搬西方政治模式并希望借此搞乱中国的人,他们最好离胡耀邦的名字远一点。
These screenshots show that, days before the 25th anniversary of the Chinese government’s clearing of Tiananmen Square in June 1989, Sina Weibo began censoring search results for “Hu Yaobang” (胡耀邦).


Translation: Xu Zhiyong's Statement in His Own Defense

 Source: https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/694913.html China Digital Times: On April 10, 2023, Xu Zhiyong, a well-known human rights de...