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: Released
Gongan Chen is an online commentator with a history of defending democratic rights. On September 9, 2022, he was detained after posting political messages in a WeChat group as part of a conversation with other human rights defenders. On October…
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Status: Detained
Xiaolong is an activist and online commentator. He was detained by the police for posting an open letter on Twitter to the Shanghai government in August 2022, accusing them of causing the Covid-19 humanitarian crisis in Shanghai. He was indicted…
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Status: Continued Harassment
Sheng Xue is a Chinese-Canadian author, a PEN Canada member, and a prominent human rights activist. She wrote three books between 2001 and 2008, all of which were banned in China. She was a victim of identity theft in 2019…
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Status: Imprisoned
Nijat, a student of Ilham Tohti, was arrested for his involvement with Tohti’s website Uyghurbiz, which aimed to promote understanding between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. He was sentenced in a 2014 secret trial and has been held incommunicado since 2018.…
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