Predators of Press Freedom: China - Hu Jintao
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 3 May 2011 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Predators of Press Freedom: China - Hu Jintao, 3 May 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4dc2b533c.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Hu Jintao, President, China
President of the People's Republic and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Hu Jintao fears that the Arab revolutionary virus could spread to China and is making more use than ever of the security forces, cyber-police and Propaganda Department to censor calls for democracy inspired by the "Jasmine Revolution." Even if he publicly professes support for media freedom, this conservative communist often restricts the freedom of the liberal press and dissidents. He gave orders, for example, for those who signed the pro-democracy Charter 08 to be hunted down. An 11-year jail sentence was imposed on its main architect, the intellectual Liu Xiaobo, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2010, and more than 100 signatories have been harassed. Thirteen netizens, including the human rights activist Liu Xianbin and the artist Ai Weiwei, are currently detained.
Tibet can only be accessed by the foreign press with a special permit, which is very hard to get. The president sent the toughest elements of the Communist Party there to suppress the unrest that erupted in March 2008. Since then, more than 50 Tibetans have been arrested for circulating photos, video or reports about the situation in the province. Hu Jintao also ordered a ruthless crackdown on the Uyghurs who revolted in Xinjiang in July 2009. The Internet was disconnected for several months and was never fully restored.
Hu Jintao's determination to control the media cost the lives of infants who fell ill after consuming baby formula that was contaminated with melamine because, ahead of the Olympics, the authorities banned the media from cover such stories. And he continues to refuse to release the "Olympic prisoners" – dissidents such as Hu Jia who were arrested in 2008 for demanding more democracy and who are still being held in appalling conditions. The censorship and repression ordered by Hu Jintao reached unprecedented levels in 2011.
