Protester holds mask of Chinese President Xi Jinping during demonstration for Chinese journalist Gao Yu, Hong Kong publisher Yao Wentian, and Chinese lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, Chinese liaison office, Hong Kong, May 11, 2014.
William Ide
June 19, 2014 10:51 AM
BEIJING — China’s Communist Party crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression appears to be intensifying.
Party officials this week issued several rulings against civil rights activists and announced new regulations that bar reporters from writing critical news stories without approval.
Draft rules that would ban lawyers from posting comments about cases online have also surfaced.
Three activists were sentenced to prison Thursday after calling on government officials to disclose their wealth to the public — two of them who were members of the loosely organized New Citizens Movement were given six-and-a-half years. The sentencing follows last week’s announcement that prominent activist and lawyer Pu Zhiqiang would be formally charged with causing a disturbance and obtaining illegal access to personal information.
