China: World's Leading Jailer of Journalists

China is on an Internet dissent crackdown. Li Jianping was the latest example of the crackdown, sentenced to three years imprisonment for an essay he published on the Internet.

The Hong Kong based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy has faxed details of Li's sentence to several news agencies around the world, in an attempt to bring attention to the actions of China's government. With an essay published on on overseas website, Li was found guilty of "inciting subversion of state power", the center said.

Danger of Praising Pro-Rights

In 1989, Li Jianping was a student that participated in the pro-democracy demonstrations at Tiananmen Square. That same year, Li, now 40, was a founder of the Independent Federation of Shanghai Universities. The essay that he wrote and published in 1993 is just one of the latest examples of Li vocally standing up for his beliefs, praising protestors in Hong Kong who fought the governed territory's "Article 23" securty legistration. Critics of "Article 23" have said that it will threaten to curb political liberty in Hong Kong.

Li's jailing isn't anything new. China has a growing list of Chinese citizens imprisoned for speaking out on the Internet. In fact, China is currently the world's leading jailer of journalists, according to media freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders, with at least 32 journalists in custody and another 50 Internet campaigners also in prison.

Guo Qizhen was recently jailed as well, his sentence to last for four years. He was also found guilty of "inciting subversion" with an anti-government essay posted on the Internet. His most damning piece of evidence was found within the essay, when he denounced the late Chairman Mao Zedong and called China's government "evil" because it suppresses civil rights.

Reporters Without Borders and Cyber Dissidence

Reporters Without Borders is working hard to help the journalists and cyber-dissidents imprisoned in China. They have called the three-year prison sentence handed down to Li Jianping a "slap in the face" for French diplomacy - the French President Jacques Chirac arrived on a three-day state visit on October 25, the same day that Li was given his sentence.

They've done it before, and Reporters Without Borders is reiterating its call to Chirac to intercede on behalf of the journalists and dissidents imprisoned.

"We had hoped Chirac's coming would be greeted by the release of prisoners of conscience," Reporters Without Borders said. "Instead we find that the first day of his visit has been marked by a heavy prison sentence. This is a slap in the face for French diplomacy, which claims to be engaged in a 'constructive' dialogue on human rights, despite the lack of concrete results."

In fact, Li Jianping is the eighth journalist or cyber-dissident to receive a Chinese prison sentence this year alone.

The debate - and supporters - will continue to grow. Earlier in October, a group of Western-based human rights advocates, lawyers and scholars urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to curb the growing number of arrests and other abuses of civil rights' activists. While the Chinese government continues to say that they're engaged in dialogue on human and civil rights, they continue to jail those supporting change.

All Internet users are being urged by Reporters Without Borders to participate in a 24-hour online demo against Internet Censorship. "No one should ever be prevented from posting news online or writing a blog, but they are..." states an article on their website publicizing the event.

Reporters Without Borders is offering Internet users tools to campaign against Internet predators and is calling them to participate in an International Cyber-Demo. The invitation has gone out to all Internet users, asking them to connect to the organization's website (www.rsf.org) between 11 a.m. Paris time on Tuesday, November 7th, and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 8th. Protests will also be staged during that time by Reporters Without Borders bureau around the world "to condemn Internet censorship and ethical misconduct of the Internet giants when operating in one of these countries."