This week, Chinese citizen Li Tie (李铁) was sentenced in Wuhan to 10 year prison, while another, Zhu Yufu (朱虞夫), was charged in Hangzhou, both for “inciting to subvert the state power,” namely, for promoting freedom and democracy. News like these doesn’t fly on Weibo because, censorship aside, most people shun such topics out of fear. Meanwhile, all over Weibo many are talking about the case of Wu Ying (吴英), a young business woman in Dongyang, Zhejiang (浙江东阳), who was sentenced to death for “illegal fund-raising and financing.” The public overwhelmingly opposes not only the sentence but also the “crime.” Also, find out how people are relishing the fun of being “buried alive”. Click date below for link to the original.
In a reply to a post by Wu Ying’s father who thanked the public for its support and appealed continued attention to his daughter’s case, Xiao Han, associated professor of law at China University of Political Science and Law, wrote:
- 萧瀚继续说/Xiao Han talks on/xiao han ji xu shu/: I have read various reports about the case, from what I have learned, I cannot conclude that your daughter has intended to defraud. It is one thing to default on debt and another to defraud. They have monopolized financing, making normal borrowing [from the banks] extremely difficult, but at the same time they don’t allow people to borrow from each other. They want to force you to die; they not only force you to die, they make sure you die disgraced and condemned.
Jan. 19 21:28 From Sina Weibo Repost(19199)|Comment(7535)
- 曹盛洁/Cao Shengjie/(Beijing-based journalist with Real Estate Weekly)/ ：Wu Yongzheng, Wu Ying’s father, once said in an interview that, before the first trial, over ten officials from Dongyang municipal government wrote and signed a letter to the court and demanded it to sentence Wu Ying to death. After the first trial, the same officials reached out to the Superior Court of Zhejiang and asked it to maintain the original sentence. On the other hand, Wu Ying reported on seven officials. …Please publish the names of the seven officials and the officials who wrote to the courts!
Jan 20 09:51 From Sina Weibo Repost(7061) | Comment(1541)
Let’s remember that Ai Weiwei is not free even though, for now, he is sleeping in his own bed and having meals with his own folks:
- aiww艾未未 Ai Weiwei/: Last night I was summoned by Nangao police station for allegedly group attacking the surveillance cameras.
He didn’t return home until 4:30am. He hasn’t revealed what exactly he did to the cameras, but his closest followers on Twitter did their best to speculate: “Do you go naked in front of it?” “I bet a bunch of people gave fingers to the cameras”…
- mozhixu莫之许/Mo Zhixu/(dissident intellectual)/: There is nothing they won’t do to maintain their rule. June 4th has already proved this. That is, to me, why talking about political reform is just hoodwinking.
52 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
- Yu Jie (余杰), the Chinese writer who recently left China for the US, issued a statement earlier this week detailing his torture by the state security police. He quoted the police as saying, “there are no more than 200 intellectuals in the country who oppose the Communist Party and are influential. If the central authorities think that their rule is facing a crisis, they can capture them all in one night and bury them alive.” As appalling as it is, the phrase “活埋”(huo2 mai2, buried alive) quickly became a catchphrase and takes on a surprising life of its own on Weibo, but particularly on Twitter where the dissidents like to congregate:
@lanpijin: Now that Yu Jie has left and there is a vacancy in the 200 quota, go get it, my dears!
@liu_xiaoyuan : Haven’t they increased the number to 30,000? (a reference to the number of Ai Weiwei’s debtors)
@wenyunchao: Curious why the security police are so inclined to burying people alive. They said it to Teng Biao, and to Yu Jie. Isn’t it tiring to dig ditches? Are they all former grave thieves?
@s0mk: Why are my eyes always filled with tears? Because I love this land where I am buried alive.
@yindeyi: Stop running away from China! If 80,000 or 100,000 of you are gone, I will likely be moved to top ten!
@cctvWeb: Don’t be frustrated if your name is not in the list of 200—there is a much longer list of people who will be buried as companions.
niulehou: You and I met after being buried alive, as the moon perked over the top of a willow tree. (A variation of a famed Song poem: “You and I met after dusk, as the moon perked over the top of a willow tree.”)
hz8964 Someone said on Weibo: I really wish to be buried alive but I am not qualified. How depressing.
灵魂飘香: People on Twitter are discussing the party’s list of 200 to be buried alive. Someone said the practice is a violation of the state’s Regulations on Funeral and Burial. Given the high efficiency of our party, I believe it is drafting Buried Alive Act right now.
lanpijin: They once said that, if they kill 200,000, they will gain 20 more years. That number now decreased sharply to 200… hummm, I would say it is a progress on the part of the party….
@akid_ Next, for your enjoyment, a chorus of 200: “If I am gone one day without a trace, please bury me alive in this spring season….”
@numbyouth: To view the “Buried Alive” list of 200, please visit: http://is.gd/tpuBdt
Just for record, 活埋 (buried alive) is now a sensitive word on mainland Chinese sites, meaning items with this phrase in them are being deleted.
Another Day…
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