Crackdown

Chinese dissident Li Tie was jailed for 10 years on subversion charges on Thursday - his "crime," to have written essays criticizing the government and urging people to defend their rights.

The 52-year-old activist is the third person to be given a lengthy sentence on similar charges within the last month. The accusation of subversion is often used to imprison critics of the government.

The crackdown on dissent seems to be intensifying ahead of the one-year anniversary of online calls for a "Jasmine Revolution" inspired by the Arab Spring.

Li was tried by a court in Wuhan in central China last April but only found guilty of subversion this week. A relative told journalists that Li had pleaded not guilty in court. "When have I subverted state power?" Li had reportedly asked.

"The state has made this conclusion against him," Li's relative said. "You can't understand it. Under these circumstances, you’re helpless. But this is our reality. He sat in front of the computer subverting state power."

In actual fact, he wrote 13 essays calling for the defense of "people's rights" published online and abroad in newspapers. One essay was entitled, "Human beings' dignity is equivalent to heaven."

The relative also pointed out that Li revered Communist revolutionary Mao Zedong and would refer to the Chinese leader’s theories in his essays. He added that he could not understand why the Communist Party would be against Li's work.

Repressive atmosphere

As the Communist Party prepares for a leadership handover later this year, human rights groups fear the crackdown on dissent will continue. Sarah Schafer of Amnesty International told Reuters she was not optimistic there would be any change in terms of human rights after the transition had taken place.

"But we can hope that just maybe they’ll be brave enough to change this repressive environment and welcome different voices rather than stifling them," she said.

Thomas Zimmer from Cologne University is also skeptical about the future. He does not envisage a multi-party system any time soon, considering little has changed in political terms over the past 30 years.

He also argues that the climate of repression will not boost the confidence of intellectuals in China to rise up against the party.

In his opinion, many notable Chinese thinkers are already too close to the government, which lures them in by placing them on political committees or think tanks. Many academics thus refrain from voicing any criticism for fear of losing their jobs. Some even respond in patriotic or even nationalist terms when criticism is voiced from abroad.

Those, such as writer Li Tie, artist Ai Weiwei or Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who are courageous enough to go against the authorities, tread an extremely dangerous path. One false word can land them in jail or perhaps in hospital after being beaten up. Even if they are released from jail, they may remain under house arrest.

"Liu is without doubt an intellectual and one who should be taken seriously because he does not hide," says Zimmer. "He expresses his criticism vehemently, is honest and convincing, but he is ready to pay a high price for it."

Beacon of hope

More and more, Zimmer points out, the Internet is providing a space for Chinese intellectuals to voice their criticism and reach thousands of people. There are lively, open discussions taking place across cyberspace on microblogs and forums.

But the censors are also very active and tend to delete posts as soon as users post them. Chinese Internet users are very innovative, however, consistently coming up with ways of conning the censors by, for example, changing one character in a word or name, or resorting to irony and subtle sarcasm.

"A new generation of young people has emerged - one which doesn't have any personal experience of the material problems and political difficulties of the past," says Zimmer. He is convinced that they are developing a new kind of self-confidence and that they will make their mark on Chinese society.

Author: Christoph Ricking / Anne Thomas (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Darren Mara