China

China

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.

Individual Cases

  • Award-winning musician Ablajan is known for promoting Uyghur culture and identity while building a bridge with Han Chinese culture through his bilingual songs. His pop-influenced music drawing on Uyghur cultural traditions has been popular among youth and children. He was…


  • A freelance writer, Hu was detained arbitrarily in July 2015; police did not answer his family’s enquiries as to his whereabouts. He was formally arrested in January 2016 on suspicion of subverting state power and imprisoned after a short closed-door…


  • Tashpolat Tiyip is an academic of Uyghur origin and the former president of Xinjiang University. Authorities stopped Tiyip in 2017 at Beijing airport. It is rumored that Tiyip was secretly sentenced to death. The Chinese government stated to the United…


  • Shokjang was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to three years in prison for inciting separatism, evidenced by his blog posts about police violence and possession of pro-Tibet books, according to the state. He was released in March 2018 but remains…


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Experts

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