Crackdowns on China’s activists and intellectuals widen

I keep waiting for news of Hu’s much-heralded reforms, but instead I keep seeing articles like this.

China should immediately release Li Guozhu, a farmers’ rights advocate who was detained in early November after he investigated deadly ethnic clashes in Henan province, Human Rights Watch said today. Farmers’ rights advocates are increasingly visible in assisting farmers in petitioning the government to redress grievances.

Witnesses told Li’s family of his arrest, but Li’s family has received no formal notification of his status or whereabouts. Li’s detention appears to be part of a widening crackdown on both intellectuals and rights advocates in China.

“This detention shows China’s determination to keep a grip on the flow of information,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “It also shows the clear risks for those left out of China’s macroeconomic boom who dare to seek justice for themselves and their communities.”

Keep those reforms coming. And remember, this is the regime that was going to stand up for the rights of the farmers and peasants. There’s a lot more to the article, none of it particularly uplifting.

The Discussion: One Comment

China is cracking down on smart people who don’t agree with them, and it is saying that this is hurting the public and the party.

Once again China is showing that it doesn’t like their being two opinions in the country, and it is getting worried because the people with the other opinions are intelegant and influentual. This sounds very comunist doesn’t it.

Keep the people in the dark and tell them that there is only one idea in the world.

December 26, 2004 @ 12:10 am | Comment

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