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 crackdown on 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 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 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 autonomous regions.
The Chinese government has expanded its censorship apparatus overseas to try and limit expression about China beyond its borders, engaging in transnational repression against exiles and the diaspora.
News
Individual Cases
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Status: Imprisoned
In 2014, Ablimit, who writes under the pen name Sheyhim, was arrested after publishing satirical stories on Uyghur community websites. These stories included the Tohti Pokan Story Series, which garnered 50,000 readers. He also published the novel Earth in Ignorance…
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Status: Conditional Release
Au is an author, columnist, and journalist known for his regular commentary in the now-shuttered Stand News and Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper. He also comments on politics and society on social media and his website 潮池. Detained on April…
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Status: Displaced/In Exile
Pro-democracy activist Law was imprisoned in 2017 for his leading role in the Occupy Central protests. Released on bail, he fled Hong Kong to the United Kingdom in July 2020, a month before he was charged with participating in a…
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Status: Imprisoned
Sun Daluo, a long-time writer and dissident, was arrested in June 2021 for publishing books abroad and writing online articles critical of Chinese Communist Party leaders. He was tried in secret on December 5, 2021, for “picking quarrels and provoking…
Reports & Research
Addressing Beijing’s assault on free expression and defending human rights standards globally is a key priority.
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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…