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.
The extensive suppression of freedom of expression includes the crushing of civil and political rights in Hong Kong and attempts to erase the culture and language of Mongolians, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other ethnic minorities living in China and its autonomous regions, elevating to potential crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.
What You Need to Know
More than 100 writers are currently behind bars in China. The majority were jailed for online expression that was critical of official policies or expressed pro-democracy viewpoints.
China’s technological and legal infrastructure enables the government to censor, monitor, and control all digital information that flows within, and into and out of the country, especially in the autonomous regions.
The Chinese government has expanded its censorship apparatus overseas to try and limit negative expression about China beyond its borders, engaging in transnational repression against exiles and the diaspora.
News
Individual Cases
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Status: Detained
Lhamjab writes about Mongolian culture, specializing in survivor testimonies of the political violence of the Cultural Revolution. In 2019, he was convicted on separatism charges. In September 2020, he was put under house arrest following protests for Mongolian language rights.…
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Status: Custodial/Wrongful Death
Liu Xiaobo, the renowned Chinese poet, literary critic, pro-democracy activist, and and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was arrested in 2009, charged with “inciting subversion of state power,” and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Liu died from complications of liver…
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Status: Imprisoned
Dawut, whose academic research focuses on Uyghur folklore and Islamic sacred sites across Xinjiang, was reportedly last heard from in December 2017. She was tried in 2018 on “splittism” charges and convicted. She later appealed the court’s decision but the…
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Status: Imprisoned
Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen and Hong Kong resident, is co-owner of the Mighty Current publishing house, as well as a writer, publisher, and former Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) Board member. Gui disappeared from his beach house in Thailand…
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Status: Imprisoned
Xu, a noted essayist and public intellectual, had for decades advocated for good governance and citizen engagement through his writing. In February 2020, he was detained amid a crackdown on activists critical of Chinese government policies who had gathered in…
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Status: Imprisoned
Tohti, an influential Uyghur writer and economist, co-founded the website Uyghurbiz. He was arrested at Beijing airport in January 2014, and found guilty of separatism and sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2014. Tohti had endured years of repeated instances…
Reports & Research
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“Save Our Mother Tongue”
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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
PEN America Experts
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Erika Nguyen
Erika Nguyen is a senior manager in the PEN/Barbey Freedom…