Dissent

A free Liu Xiaobo will be less of a headache for Beijing

1 Mar 2013

Communists are supposed to be unsentimental realists who care only about outcomes and results. So even judging by the ethics-free standard of pure realpolitik, the jailing of dissident and Nobel...

7 comments

Hope against hope for Gao Zhisheng's freedom

8 Feb 2013

Experience with the Chinese justice system teaches that the illegal detention of Gao Zhisheng will continue into the new year. Nevertheless, it would be nice to be proved wrong.

Mo Yan's Nobel Prize lecture scorned by China dissidents

9 Dec 2012

Mo Yan's Nobel lecture did little to dispel ongoing controversy in China's literary circles, with state media widely covering this year's literature prize winner even as dissident artists piled on...

Anxious authorities crack down on critics ahead of party congress

28 Oct 2012

Mainland authorities have stepped up harassment of government critics ahead of the Communist Party's upcoming 18th national congress, warning them against speaking out during the sensitive...

4 comments

Green activist Liu Futang in court over books he gave away

12 Oct 2012

A vocal environmentalist faced charges of "illegal business operation" in a court in Hainan yesterday for self-publishing books on environmental conflicts caused by government-backed projects.

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Our dissidents' glory days are numbered

The conspicuously disappointing turnout for the July 1 march was quite expected. The pro-democracy movement believed that up to 200,000 would take part, given the high level of dissatisfaction...

Let all views be heard, not suppressed in media

The mainland is no exception to the information revolution wrought by the internet. What sets it apart though is that the internet increasingly fills a gap created by official curbs on what...

Privilege, discretion and the rights of whistleblowers

Greg So Kam-leung, the undersecretary for commerce and economic development, has apologised publicly for using his name card in lieu of an income statement when he applied to the Immigration...

A sinking democratic ship

All's quiet on the political front. But that is not because the dissidents of the pro-democracy camp have stopped trying to stir up trouble.

Question of dissent

It was good to see President Hu Jintao speaking to the Australian parliament.

Dissident helpers aim to stay

SOME members of Operation Yellow Bird, the dissident escape route, would prefer to stay in the territory after the handover.