China Arrests Two Bloggers For The Crime Of Spreading Rumors

The Chinese government is obsessed with suppressing free speech on the Internet — legitimately fearful that citizens speaking with each other could bring an end to its regime. The recent protests in Russia likely reinforced those fears for the Chinese. Thus, it should come as no surprise that when two men told people online about a huge police presence supporting a wedding, the Chinese government had them arrested.

The Chinese insist that it was just a coincidence — that the police were returning from an exercise and came upon the wedding party. Given the government’s long history of false claims, it will have to forgive us if we do not immediately take its word for it. I have been repeatedly to China and seen the Mandarin-like residences of party officials guarded by police. Notably, the
two men had uploaded a video clip showing crowds of police and the wedding convoy.

Even if true, it is outrageous to have any government jailing people for alleging misconduct by government officials or police. Even if this was a coincidence, these men had a legitimate reason to publish the video. However, in the worker’s paradise, only the government can print false stories. There it is called “news.”

Source: Guardian

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