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Where's Hu Now?: Let your voice be heard on Hu Jintao's U.S. visit HRIC Comments on HR 4780: Global Online Freedom Act of 2006 Li Zhi Appellate Ruling: English translation HRIC Testimony to "Monitoring Respect for Human Rights" Articles Alert: Feb 2006 HRIC Trends Bulletin: Media Crackdowns in China HRIC Testimony to "Internet in China" Congressional Hearing		Change text size Print this page We have no means in China to protect our own freedom of expression, which is precisely the fundamental rationale for why our generation must continue striving. — Anti              A Statement from Beijing Blogger Anti [February 8, 2006] Beijing blogger Anti (安替) is known as one of China's most prominent and influential investigative bloggers. Widely read both domestically and abroad, Anti's blog at MSN Spaces was abruptly shut down by Microsoft on December 31, 2005.[1] Visitors were greeted with a "Space not available" error message. Anti has since re-opened his blog at the US-hosted Blog City—although his domestic readers will no longer be able to visit it as access to Blog City is blocked for mainland Chinese Internet users. On January 14, 2006, Anti issued an open statement regarding his views on the unexpected closure of his MSN Spaces blog and the recent congressional briefings and hearings concerning human rights and the Internet in China.[2] HRIC has provided an unofficial translation of Anti's statement below. The original Chinese-language post can be found on Anti's blog. Anti: My views regarding the Microsoft incident and the proposed legislation of the United States Congress Today a member of the United States media called me to ask my views regarding a legislative proposal by members of the US Congress to penalize corporations such as Yahoo! and Microsoft who cooperate with Chinese government. I am issuing this open statement to explain my position. Regarding Microsoft's shutting down of my blog, I have repeatedly stated my opinion to the media. First, this kind of act by Microsoft infringes on my freedom of expression, and I protest. Second, Microsoft deleted my blog in its entirety without advance notice, without giving me the opportunity to respond. This type of abominable attitude towards its users has destroyed the trust I had in Microsoft. Third, I reserve the right to take further action against Microsoft. Later, Microsoft explained that the removal took place in accordance with local law. This is tantamount to saying that we writers who lost our space for discussing the incident at the Beijing News expressed illegal opinions as "criminal suspects." Compromising under pressure is a mistake, unjustly labeling someone as a criminal in order to cover up a compromise only makes the matter worse. It is the shame of the Chinese people that we are unable to punish Microsoft for its actions. We have no means in China to protect our own freedom of expression, which is precisely the fundamental rationale for why our generation must continue striving. I hope I'm still alive to see the day of reckoning. I have said before that the unjust acts of Microsoft and Yahoo! will certainly be punished, and with luck their actions won't be forgotten. I fear that in the future, compensation imposed on these companies might be enough to subsidize education for all of China: before profit, think first of the future. We can live without losing our ideals by trusting in history, trusting that the god of justice will inevitably look after China, allowing those who suffer to be rehabilitated and victims to have redress. Regarding this legislation by members of the US Congress, this is completely a matter for the American people. I do not think that the US Congress can protect Chinese people's freedom of expression. If the freedom of expression of citizens of a great country must be protected by the congress of another country, this demonstrates how remote our country is from the grandness of our ideals. The shutting down of my blog and my strong defense of freedom of expression cannot be taken as an automatic endorsement of legislation by the US Congress. To state more clearly: what I need is legislation by the Chinese National People's Congress. What I need is Chinese people legislating to protect Chinese people's freedom of expression. If it can't be done today, it certainly can be done tomorrow. This is the only honor and dream we live for. A country is great because there is a group of its people who are not willing to give up their national ideals, and desire to take root, sacrifice and contribute. Today we study Washington's political system, the economy of New York and the culture of California all because we firmly expect that one day, our children in Nanjing, Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei will together enjoy lives of freedom, democracy, prosperity and peace. In short, Chinese people need to push the way ourselves, because we are the ones who know best the hardships and difficulties we face. Seeking justice in a US court does not mean justice has been redressed in China. Whether Yahoo and Microsoft are punished by the US courts is not something we can be concerned with. What we really need to be concerned about are Chinese people's rights, how much we Chinese can protect them, and even how much we can reduce violations of our rights. As one Web friend has said well, the shame is actually our own. In addition, with globalization and politics increasingly bound together, I don't think treating the issue as a black-and-white matter will necessarily help expand the rights of Chinese people. On the one hand, Microsoft's shutting down of blogs impedes Chinese people's freedom of expression; on the other hand, in the past year MSN Spaces has expanded the ability and desire of Chinese to use blogs, and MSN Messenger also facilitates disseminating information through the Internet. These are the two-sided effects created by the blind pursuit of profit. How Americans judge and penalize this problem is really their own issue, but I myself believe that if companies compromise all of the principles for the sake of an opportunity to enter the Chinese market, at least in the short term, Chinese netizens will not have more freedom. Moreover, we must recognize that Yahoo's betrayal and Microsoft's compromise are completely different matters. We are in a very complicated situation, just as with the problem of whether economic sanctions can improve democracy in a country, having seen that in the 1990s this kind of action had both positive and negative impact on China and Iraq. These types of awkward and complex circumstances are the shame of the Chinese, and something I hesitate to discuss outside of China. I can only quietly repeat this dream to friends: I hope that one day, on Chinese land, fairness will surge like water, justice like a torrential river. Even though our voice is weak, inside we remain steadfast as a rock. // ENDNOTES [1] The Closing of Anti's Blog: The Beijing News Controversy: Prior to the removal of his blog by Microsoft, Anti had been writing in support of journalists at Beijing News. During its more than two years in publication, Beijing News had been known for its reporting of sensitive subjects. But on December 28, 2005, Yang Bin, the editor-in-chief of Beijing News, was fired along with other senior staff, with no reason given. In an unusual move for state-controlled media, several staff protested by refusing to continue filing articles, while other reports stated that nearly all the 400 reporters and editors at the paper were unhappy at Yang Bin's dismissal. Anti was not alone in supporting the Beijing News journalists; following Yang Bin's departure, messages appeared on online discussion boards calling for boycotts, but were deleted by censors almost immediately. [2] US Congressional Briefings and Hearings: Several US Congressional bodies have convened or will be convening briefings and hearings on human rights and the Internet in China, including a Members' Briefing convened by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus on February 1, 2006, and a hearing convened on February 15, 2006 by the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Global Human Rights, Africa and International Operations. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and Cisco have been asked to appear and will be sending representatives to testify. //
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