Index on Censorship weekly news round-up
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Friday, 14 July 2023
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Photo: Richard Möller, CC BY-SA 4.0 ([link removed])
“The way I see it, people like me live in two prisons in China. You come out of the small, fenced-in prison, only to enter the bigger, fenceless prison of society.”
With yet another arrest around the corner, Liu Xiaobo, one of the most important figures in the fight for democracy in China, gave these words in an interview. This was an activist who flew from New York to China to join the Tiananmen Square protests (which landed him time in prison), who won a Nobel Peace Prize and who penned a yearly poem to keep the memory of 1989 alive. Perhaps most importantly, he was the co-architect of Charter 08, a pamphlet calling for greater democratic freedoms — which, of course, resulted in more time behind bars.
Liu once described the internet as “God’s gift to China,” writing: “Ever since China entered the internet era, civilian voices have the sort of technical support that is difficult to block completely.” We published this piece ([link removed]) in Index back in 2006 — the very year Twitter was born and three years before China’s social platform Weibo came into the world.
Just days before Liu died in hospital on 13 July 2017 (and the week after he was released from prison on health grounds), our editor-in-chief Jemimah Steinfeld wrote a moving piece about his life ([link removed].) . With the anniversary of Liu’s death falling yesterday, her piece is well worth a revisit.
It has been quite the week for repression at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). That “fenceless prison of society” that Liu described has opened more gates into the wider world.
Perhaps a good place to start is with the UK’s Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament report, ([link removed]) released yesterday, which exposes the intelligence threat that China poses to the UK. Our policy and campaigns officer Nik Williams says of the report: “The ISC report on China highlights the extent to which China uses its soft power to control international perceptions of the country and dissuade criticism, through involvement in the UK's economic, academic, cultural and media environment. It is vital that the UK can respond to transnational threats posed by countries such as China to ensure repression cannot be exported unopposed to the shores of the UK.”
It was only a couple of weeks ago that arrest warrants were issued ([link removed]) for eight dissidents living in exile, with the Hong Kong police summoning the full force of the National Security Law. This week, police raided the Hog Kong home of the family of one of the dissidents, Nathan Law, and took them in for questioning.
Sadly, we’ve seen plenty of examples of transnational repression at the hands of the CCP through our Banned by Beijing project. On our website, Fréderike Geerdink writes ([link removed]) about a China correspondent at a Dutch newspaper who’s been on the receiving end of intimidation tactics, including a suspicious Holiday Inn Express booking and a bomb threat made in her name.
Inside China itself, there has been another concerning development. Reporters Without Borders issued an alert this week about a new threat — an online tool “designed to 'train' media professionals. This service from the All-China Journalists Association (of course, overseen by the CCP) has a whopping 220 courses to help journalists pass one very specific exam. Shorthand? Court reporting? Media law? Guess again. It’s the loyalty exam towards President Xi Jinping and the Party, which has been compulsory for anyone wishing to get or renew press credentials since 2019. Index CEO Ruth Anderson’s latest blog deals with this development ([link removed]) , and the sorry state of press freedom in China.
We started this newsletter by remembering Liu Xiaobo. This week, the world of free expression lost another colossal voice — Milan Kundera. The Czech-French author was a vocal critic of Czechoslovakia’s communist regime, and had the unenviable status of being a banned writer. Over the weekend, we invite you all to pick up a copy of one of his most famous works, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Kundera’s words appeared in Index ([link removed]) several times over the years, but we rather like this phrase:
“I must confess I don't like the word 'dissident', particularly when applied to art.”
Katie Dancey-Downs, assistant editor
** Britain's Holocaust island
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German World War Two bunker 'The Odeon' in Alderney, Channel Islands. Photo: Tim Brighton/Flickr
The peaceful island of Alderney was involved in the darkest chapter of World War II. Both residents and politicians have tried to keep a lid on this history but the silence is ending. Martin Bright investigates for Index ([link removed]) .
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** Express yourself: Overcoming neurodiversity stereotypes
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The latest issue of Index is flying around global postal systems, heading to subscribers. We explore how there’s still a long way to go when it comes to talking about neurodiversity, and hear from the likes of Mikhail Shishkin, Stella Nyanzi and Selahattin Demirtaş. If you haven’t yet subscribed, there is still time to do so ([link removed]) .
** 20 July | A night for Afghan journalists
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Since the Taliban's takeover in 2021, Afghanistan has plunged into an era of darkness and fear, with journalists bearing the brunt of oppression and censorship. In their relentless pursuit of uncovering the truth, these brave journalists face constant threats, intimidation and violence, forcing them into hiding and silencing their voices. Index on Censorship and AnotherWay Now invite you to join us on Thursday 20 July for a powerful evening to highlight their plight.
The event will start with a panel discussion featuring Zahra Joya, a journalist from Afghanistan and founder of Rukhshana Media, and Emma Graham-Harrison, Senior International Affairs Correspondent for The Guardian & The Observer. The discussion will be chaired by the Bafta-nominated presenter Keme Nzerem and will end with a reading of a poem from Afghan-born poet in exile Suhrab Sirat. A drinks reception will follow.
Tickets are free but booking is essential. Click here ([link removed]) to get your ticket.
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** From the archive
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** Georgian plain speaking
by Lasha Bugadze
June 2018
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This week, we were shocked to hear that an anti-LGBTQ+ mob attacked a Pride event in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, and the event had to be cancelled. To understand more about Georgia, we suggest you read Lasha Bugadze’s satirical writing ([link removed]) on the country.
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Index on Censorship defends people's freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution. We publish censored writers and artists, monitor and campaign against censorship, and encourage debate.
We rely on donations from readers and supporters. By donating ([link removed]) to Index you help us to protect freedom of expression and to support those who are denied that right.
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