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posted by mrpg on Saturday July 15 2017, @11:48AM   Printer-friendly
from the people's-republic-of-censorship dept.

Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo died in custody on Thursday. Now comes the censorship:

After Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese dissident and 2010 Nobel Peace laureate, died in custody on Thursday evening, his Chinese admirers went online to voice their sympathy and grief — and countless government censors buckled down for a long night's work.

The Chinese government's drive to silence discussion of Liu — who died of liver cancer at age 61 — predates even 2009, when he was handed an 11-year sentence for helping draft Charter 08, a document calling for multiparty democracy and freedom of speech. On Chinese social networks, searches for "Liu Xiaobo" return nothing, and most Chinese citizens barely know his name.

Yet on Friday, China's social media sites were filled with expressions of solidarity and grief, suggesting that Liu's case — and his ideals — may be more influential in China than many outsiders believe. These expressions were often cryptic and muted — snatches of poetry, allegorical quotes — but still, the censors responded in force.

On Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, they deleted photos of Liu and his wife, Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest since Liu's arrest, though she has never been charged with a crime. They blocked flickering candle emojis, the letters RIP and LXB, and the dates "1955-2017," the years of Liu's birth and death. They removed poems by Liu and Liu Xia; photos of the South African revolutionary Nelson Mandela, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; and even the phrase: "someone died today."

"I think this kind of pokes a hole in the narrative that he's not well known in China," said William Nee, a Hong Kong-based researcher at Amnesty International. "I don't know if I'd characterize this as a paradigm shift. But it might be that some of the seeds he'd started to plant — or, the ideas in Charter 08 — have started to bear fruit among the rights defense community, and they're becoming more well known and are spreading among parts of the general public."

[...] Yet Friday's outpouring of support also exposed some of the censorship apparatus' weaknesses. On Friday, "LXB" was censored, but "XB" was not. The Chinese word for candle — 蜡烛 — was censored, but adding a space between the characters — 蜡 烛 — brought up several results, many related to Liu's death.

This editorial will set you straight.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by jdavidb on Saturday July 15 2017, @01:55PM (10 children)

    by jdavidb (5690) on Saturday July 15 2017, @01:55PM (#539544) Homepage Journal

    I believe it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish Government, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Doesn't matter if he's a status seeker or not - individuals can decide if they want to follow him or not.

    --
    ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
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  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 15 2017, @02:07PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 15 2017, @02:07PM (#539549)

    Yes Putin should be able to spend as much money as he wants changing American hearts and minds. In the end it's up to the people if they want to vote for his puppet. Right?

    • (Score: 2) by jdavidb on Sunday July 16 2017, @12:59AM (3 children)

      by jdavidb (5690) on Sunday July 16 2017, @12:59AM (#539719) Homepage Journal
      Russia is a ridiculous distraction from the problems at home. It's not even good recycled garbage. Wasn't scared of the Russians way back when, and I'm even less scared of them now. What I am scared of is giving a madman the power to wage war in Syria for no reason whatsoever, not to mention nukes and a ridiculous quarrel with Korea. When we listen to the Russia headlines we are being completely played.
      --
      ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 16 2017, @01:48AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 16 2017, @01:48AM (#539738)

        Russia is just a convenient example to shine the light on your hypocrisy . Only allowing those you want to play the game with, being allowed to play the game. 2 parties no interference. Only rich Americans dictating the rules and whipping up a frenzy if anyone even hints at another way.

        Why shouldn't money or power from any other country be able to influence American elections? If you can convince enough people to vote for it willingly isn't that still democracy? Seems there is one set of rules for America, but then they go around telling everyone else what to do, and how to run their countries.

        • (Score: 2) by jdavidb on Sunday July 16 2017, @01:27PM

          by jdavidb (5690) on Sunday July 16 2017, @01:27PM (#539887) Homepage Journal
          My hypocrisy? I don't think the US government should interfere in other people's elections or their countries at all.
          --
          ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 16 2017, @03:03PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 16 2017, @03:03PM (#539904)

        Hillary didn't get elected, and Obama is no longer president. But we can thank our stars that the British parliament voted against military action in Syria, that really cooled down the acceptability with our government a few years back.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 15 2017, @11:12PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 15 2017, @11:12PM (#539685)

    What are you? Some kind of commie? [google.com]
    Sounds like you're talking REVOLUTION there, comrade.

    .
    FTFS: died of liver cancer at age 61

    He was denied proper treatment for his cancer.

    ...and, in case you think that this was a thing that is done only by China's "Communist" Party, there's a political prisoner of USA that I've previously mentioned. [soylentnews.org]

    Grandmother and teacher-turned-lawyer Lynne Stewart was a real lioness when it came to defending civil liberties.
    In the post-9/11 hysteria, she was imprisoned for doing her best to defend someone accused of a crime (terrorism).

    The statue under which she was charged was on the books, but in its existence NO ONE had ever gone to trial due to it.
    (Its constitutionality is highly questionable.)

    They kept her in prison without proper treatment making sure that her cancer metastasized, guaranteeing a death sentence for doing her job (upholding the Constitution).

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 2) by jdavidb on Sunday July 16 2017, @01:00AM (3 children)

      by jdavidb (5690) on Sunday July 16 2017, @01:00AM (#539721) Homepage Journal
      I'm the diametric opposite of a commie.
      --
      ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 16 2017, @06:47PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 16 2017, @06:47PM (#539965)

        Yeah. That's been pretty obvious from your comments.
        Quoting from a document with "Declaration" in its title rather than "Manifesto" makes that clear.
        Still, that script which you referenced led to something that is typically called a "revolution".

        N.B. I'll argue against that characterization:
        The 13 colonies had an overlord class before the "revolution" and USA had one of those afterwards.
        The system that was set up allowed only white male landowners to vote.
        Additionally, slavery was at the core before and after.

        ...and, there were still ridiculous taxation mechanisms.
        So, almost immediately, there was a counterrevolution, which was put down by force of arms.
        Shays' Rebellion [historic-northampton.org]

        -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

        • (Score: 2) by jdavidb on Monday July 17 2017, @05:11PM

          by jdavidb (5690) on Monday July 17 2017, @05:11PM (#540405) Homepage Journal
          My job now is to convince people that when their neighbors want a new government they shouldn't fight a war to deny them the right to do so.
          --
          ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
        • (Score: 2) by jdavidb on Monday July 17 2017, @05:13PM

          by jdavidb (5690) on Monday July 17 2017, @05:13PM (#540406) Homepage Journal
          On another note, I lean towards viewing the U.S. revolution as a power grab by the up and coming wealthy in the colonies. One government was replaced with another. Most people accept that it was an improvement. I'm not so sure. The basic principle I quote from the Declaration is quite sound, though, and if it were universally respected would prevent all power grabs.
          --
          ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings