In the days after Chongqing Communist Party boss Bo Xilai was removed from office, the Chinese Internet, particularly microblogs like Sina Weibo, were filled with rumors of high-level political machinations. The talk included …
censorship
Must Reads from Around the World: Feb. 6, 2012
Facing Censorship and Abuse, a Chinese Writer Chooses Exile
A Chinese writer who was kept under house arrest for much of the past year and claims he was tortured by police has left China for the United States, saying that he faced unbearable pressure at home. Yu Jie, 38, is known for his …
“The Spring That Never Blossomed”: The Plight of Azerbaijan’s Dissidents
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnMPtn9kf0A&feature=player_embedded]
These are heady days for the powers-that-be in the oil-rich Republic of Azerbaijan. The former Soviet satrap on the Caspian Sea recently was elected as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Better yet, its capital Baku will be hosting 2012’s …
In Beijing, the Party Elite and the Police All Have a Say on Culture
Top officials of China’s ruling Communist Party began a four-day, closed-door session Saturday which will be scrutinized for clues into the leadership transition that begins next year. The Central Committee’s annual plenum may also offer insight into how the authorities intend to promote, and control, cultural expression. The …
Is China’s Ex-Leader Jiang Zemin Dead? Local Censors Don’t Want Any Speculation
Is he or isn’t he? Around 11 pm on July 5, China’s blogosphere began trading in rumors that Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the People’s Republic, had died. By midnight local searches on this topic had become very popular. But within half an hour, the heavy hand of China’s censors descended. Chinese language searches for …
Will Facebook Censor for a Shot at the Chinese Market?
The story is headlined “Facebook Seeking Friends in the Beltway,” but one quote seemed destined to make the social-networking giant a few enemies. In a story today about Facebook’s efforts to expand its lobbying efforts in Washington, the Wall Street Journal quotes a lobbyist saying the company may censor some content
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Democracy, Kazakh Style: Where the Challenger Votes for the Incumbent
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled this Central Asian state for the entirety of its independent existence following the disintegration of the U.S.S.R, cruised to reelection this Sunday in polls that reportedly saw over 90% of eligible voters turn out. Critics, though, say the election was a choreographed farce. …
TIME Reporter Expelled from Yemen
The following comes from TIME’s News Director Howard Chua-Eoan
TIME’s reporter in Yemen Oliver Holmes phoned in to report that he and the reporters for the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times are being deported by the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The ostensible reason given by the government was that Holmes, Haley …
Chinese Writer Loses Facebook Account, While Zuckerberg’s Dog Gets Own Page
He’s known as Michael Anti to Harvard and Hillary Clinton, among others. But in January, Facebook deleted the account of the Chinese media commentator because he didn’t use his legal name, Zhao Jing. Anti says Facebook’s decision cost him a profile with more than 1,000 friends and professional contacts. At first Anti says he …
China: On Literary Censorship and ‘Castrated Writing’
In December 2010, Murong Xuecun won the People’s Literature Prize. To mark the occasion, the young writer prepared some remarks on literature and free expression. But, before he reached the podium, he was stopped. His speech on censorship had been censored.
This week, he traveled to Hong Kong to deliver that speech. In a talk that …