Free Expression China

Free Expression in China

The Issue

Presiding over an authoritarian one-party system, China’s leader Xi Jinping has overseen an extensive crackdown on free expression since he took power in 2012 and has further entrenched censorship controls on the Internet, media, and publishers. This crackdown has included attempted cultural and linguistic destruction targeting Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Mongolians and other ethnic minorities elevating to potential crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, and the crushing of civil and political rights in Hong Kong. As China’s economic and political strength has increased, the Chinese Communist Party has also expanded its censorship apparatus overseas to try and limit expression about China beyond its borders, engage in transnational repression against exiles and the diaspora, and erode international human rights norms.

The Chinese government is the world’s leading jailer of writers and public intellectuals. Writers, journalists, bloggers, and creative artists face censorship, harassment, imprisonment, and enforced disappearance because of their writing or creative expression. Topics deemed off limits include discussion of government policies like those around the COVID-19 pandemic, rights of ethnic and religious minorities, women and LGBTQ+ rights, imprisoned human rights defenders, social issues, corruption, and the lack of democratic reform. Nearly 100 writers are currently behind bars on politicized charges in China and Hong Kong. 

Despite the severe risks of speaking out, many in China and Hong Kong continue to raise their voices. Addressing Beijing’s assault on free expression and defending human rights standards globally is a key priority of PEN America’s research and advocacy work. We strive to build solidarity between American writers and their Chinese, Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Hong Kong colleagues and advocate for the release of those jailed by Beijing for exercising their right to free expression.

Read the Latest

PEN America Condemns Transnational Repression of Chinese Political Cartoonist Badiucao in Poland

June 9, 2023
“Chinese authorities have long targeted Badiucao for his political cartoons and artworks protesting the extreme human rights violations levied against its citizens and in Hong Kong,” said Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) Director Julie Trébault. “This attempt at transnational repression is blatantly illegal and wrong, and we condemn the Chinese government for trying to stop this exhibition from taking place. ARC and our partners around the world stand in solidarity with Badiucao and the CCA Ujazdowski Castle.”

“Unjustified” Mass Arrests at Hong Kong Gathering for Tiananmen Square Massacre Anniversary

June 6, 2023
“Hong Kong authorities demonstrated on June 4 they are in lock step with Beijing in attempting to erase the memory of the Chinese Communist Party’s massacre of peaceful pro-democracy protesters in 1989,” said Angeli Datt, PEN America’s China research and advocacy lead. “The unjustified arrests of artists Sanmu Chen and Chan Mei-Tung, and other protestors, is indicative of how the authorities are increasingly abusing the colonial-era ‘sedition’ law amid the  crackdown on free expression brought in under the National Security Law (NSL). The United Nations have called on Hong Kong authorities to repeal the NSL, which infringes on the right to free expression guaranteed by Hong Kong and international law. These arrests show that Hong Kongers refuse to be cowed into silence. While we welcome the release of those detained for marking the anniversary, all charges should be dropped immediately.”

Statement Signed by 57 PEN Centers Worldwide Calls for Release of Chinese Writer and Journalist Dong Yuyu

May 25, 2023
“We believe that Dong Yuyu is being unjustly detained in reprisal for his writing and interacting with foreign nationals to help inform his global views, in violation of his right to freedom of expression enshrined under China’s Constitution and international human rights law. We call on authorities to unconditionally drop the charges against him and release him immediately,” the letter states.
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Individual Cases

Xu Zhiyong

Xu Zhiyong

Xu Zhiyong is a Chinese writer, legal scholar, and civil rights activist known for his online essays concerning contemporary social issues in China who is serving a 14-year prison sentence for “subversion of state power.”
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Ilham Tohti

Ilham Tohti

Ilham Tohti is a Uyghur economist, writer, and professor who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for promoting understanding between Uyghurs and Han Chinese.
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Rahile Dawut

Rahile Dawut

Rahile Dawut is a Uyghur scholar and leading expert on Uyghur folklore and cultural heritage who has been forcibly disappeared by Chinese authorities since 2017.
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Gui Minhai

Gui Minhai

Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen, is a publisher, writer, and former Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) Board member. He was abducted from Thailand and sentenced to 10 years in a Chinese prison in 2020.
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Advocacy

Re: Hong Kong injunction seeking to ban “Glory to Hong Kong"

Re: Hong Kong injunction seeking to ban “Glory to Hong Kong"

PEN America joined 23 civil society organizations regarding a legal injunction being sought by the Hong Kong government that would effectively ban intermediaries from broadcasting or distributing online, including on YouTube, the 2019 protest song, “Glory to Hong Kong.”
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Chinese Authorities Must Release “Blank Paper” Protesters and Allow Free Expression on COVID-19 Pandemic

Chinese Authorities Must Release “Blank Paper” Protesters and Allow Free Expression on COVID-19 Pandemic

We call on the Chinese government to release Cao Zhixin (曹芷馨), Li Siqi (李思琪), Li Yuanjing (李元婧), and Zhai Dengrui (翟登蕊).
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Open Letter Calls for Probe of Inhumane Treatment of Imprisoned Chinese Writer

Open Letter Calls for Probe of Inhumane Treatment of Imprisoned Chinese Writer

Angeli Datt, PEN America’s China research and advocacy lead, said: “The reports of the treatment of Mr Lü Gengsong in prison are troubling and we call for an immediate investigation. Such treatment is a violation of China’s domestic law and the country’s international human rights obligations. Mr Lü is serving a long prison sentence after being convicted of “subversion” for publishing pro-democracy essays overseas and promoting the banned China Democracy Party. Writing is not a crime and Mr. Lü shouldn’t be in prison at all. Authorities must investigate his treatment in prison and take steps to vacate his prison sentence and release him from custody.”
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Commentary

Xu Zhiyong and the Mighty Pen

Xu Zhiyong and the Mighty Pen

Chinese writer and activist Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison for writing and advocating for a “A Beautiful China.”
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‘What Kind of Wish Is This?’ A Q&A with Author Murong Xuecun

‘What Kind of Wish Is This?’ A Q&A with Author Murong Xuecun

The writer Hao Qun, who publishes under the pen name Murong Xuecun, has spent the past two decades exploring Chinese society through his literature.
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Recent Events

ChinaFile Presents: The Future of Dissent Inside and Outside of China

ChinaFile Presents: The Future of Dissent Inside and Outside of China

ChinaFile and PEN America Present: The Future of Dissent Inside and Outside of China, a discussion with authors Liao Yiwu and Ian Johnson.
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Vigil for Liu Xiaobo

Vigil for Liu Xiaobo

Join PEN America for a vigil to remember the life and work of Liu Xiaobo on the 6th anniversary of his death in custody.
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Truth-Telling And Its Dire Consequences: PEN America Hosts Conversation with Writers Targeted by Authoritarians Around the Globe

Truth-Telling And Its Dire Consequences: PEN America Hosts Conversation with Writers Targeted by Authoritarians Around the Globe

The difficult plight of writers living under authoritarian rule has been well-documented over decades, with some enduring impossibly harsh treatment for their truth-telling and resistance to repression.
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Liu Xiaobo (1955-2017) was a brilliant writer and committed activist. As President of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, he was a friend and compatriot for writers all over the world who struggle against tyranny using words as their sole weapon.

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