China
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.
What You Need to Know
More than 100 writers are currently behind bars on politicized charges in China. The majority were jailed for online expression that was critical of official policies or expressed pro-democracy viewpoints.
China’s leader Xi Jinping has overseen an extensive crackdown on free expression that 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.
News
Individual Cases
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Status: Imprisoned
Rozi is a Uyghur writer, literary critic, and historical researcher. Rozi was detained in October 2016 and formally arrested two months later for inciting separatism. Convicted in January 2018 in a sham trial, Rozi is now serving a sentence of…
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Status: Imprisoned
On November 27, 2022, while participating in the White Paper Movement of 2022, Yashar Shohret, also known as Uigga, sang a memorial song of his own writing in Uyghur, for which he was immediately detained. Shohret was released on December…
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Status: Imprisoned
Poet Zhang was taken into police custody in May 2020 and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” a month later; authorities cited a video where he called for Xi Jinping to step down. In July 2022, after nine months…
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Status: Displaced/In Exile
Pro-democracy youth activist Chow was imprisoned in August 2017 on charges of unlawful assembly for his role in the Occupy Central protests in 2014. He was released on bail in November 2017, but has been subject to continued legal harassment.…
Reports & Research
Addressing Beijing’s assault on free expression and defending human rights standards globally is a key priority.
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Writing on the Wall
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Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing
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Forbidden Feeds
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Splintered Speech
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Darkened Screen
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Censorship and Conscience
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Threatened Harbor