Cheng Jianping
Encyclopedia
Cheng Jianping also known as Wang Yi is a 46-year old Chinese
political dissident and human rights activist who was sentenced in November 2010 to a year of re-education through labor after she posted comments to her Twitter
account saying, "Charge, angry youth!"
The remarks were made while China and Japan were involved in a diplomatic conflict over a group of islands in the East China Sea named Diaoyu (Chinese) or Senkaku
(Japanese). Chinese protesters had been demonstrating against Japan, boycotting Japanese products and attacking Japanese-owned businesses to show their support for the Chinese government.
Cheng's post was actually a retweet of a post by her fiancé Hua Chunhui who originally wrote: “Anti-Japanese demonstrations, smashing Japanese products, that was all done years ago by Guo Quan. So it’s no new trick. If you really wanted to kick it up a notch, you’d immediately fly to Shanghai to smash the Japanese Expo pavilion.” Cheng then added her three word comment, which both she and her fiance described as sarcastic satire, a joke criticizing the demonstrators.
The comments were seen by the Chinese government as "disrupting public order", interpreted as attempting to incite anti-Japanese protesters to attack Japan's pavilion at the Shanghai Expo. On October 27th, 10 days after her tweet, Cheng disappeared, seized in the southeastern city of Wuxi
on the same day as her fiance, who was released five days later. Cheng was sentenced on November 12th, what would have been her wedding day, to one year of re-education through labor at the Shibali River women's labour camp
in Zhengzhou city
in Henan Province.
Since the imprisonment Cheng has started a hunger strike protesting the sentence and seeking relocation closer to home. Her lawyer Lan Zhixue
and her fiance have appealed the sentence. (Under China’s legal system, police can send people to re-education through labor for up to four years without trial. Few appeals are successful).
The Chinese government's response brought attention to the risks of using Twitter for controversial political issues, as well as criticism from human rights and open technology groups. “Sentencing someone to a year in a labor camp, without trial, for simply repeating another person’s clearly satirical observation on Twitter demonstrates the level of China’s repression of online expression,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International
’s Director for the Asia-Pacific. The organization further commented, "Cheng may be the first Chinese citizen to become a prisoner of conscience on the basis of a single tweet." Twitter CEO Dick Costolo posted to his Twitter account, "Dear Chinese Government, year-long detentions for sending a sarcastic tweet are neither the way forward nor the future of your great people."
Twitter is currently banned in China, but many people circumvent internet controls to use it.
Amnesty International said Cheng had participated in low-level online activism, including sending online messages in support of jailed Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Liu Xiaobo
. According to her fiance, Cheng's prior activism included signing petitions including one calling for the release of Liu Xiaobo
. Cheng had also been detained by police for five days in August of 2010 after voicing support for Liu Xianbin
, a long-time democracy activist dating back to the protests that preceded the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Liu Xianbin had been detained in 2010, suspected of inciting subversion of state power for criticizing China's Communist Party.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
political dissident and human rights activist who was sentenced in November 2010 to a year of re-education through labor after she posted comments to her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account saying, "Charge, angry youth!"
The remarks were made while China and Japan were involved in a diplomatic conflict over a group of islands in the East China Sea named Diaoyu (Chinese) or Senkaku
Senkaku Islands
The , also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea...
(Japanese). Chinese protesters had been demonstrating against Japan, boycotting Japanese products and attacking Japanese-owned businesses to show their support for the Chinese government.
Cheng's post was actually a retweet of a post by her fiancé Hua Chunhui who originally wrote: “Anti-Japanese demonstrations, smashing Japanese products, that was all done years ago by Guo Quan. So it’s no new trick. If you really wanted to kick it up a notch, you’d immediately fly to Shanghai to smash the Japanese Expo pavilion.” Cheng then added her three word comment, which both she and her fiance described as sarcastic satire, a joke criticizing the demonstrators.
The comments were seen by the Chinese government as "disrupting public order", interpreted as attempting to incite anti-Japanese protesters to attack Japan's pavilion at the Shanghai Expo. On October 27th, 10 days after her tweet, Cheng disappeared, seized in the southeastern city of Wuxi
Wuxi
Wuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south...
on the same day as her fiance, who was released five days later. Cheng was sentenced on November 12th, what would have been her wedding day, to one year of re-education through labor at the Shibali River women's labour camp
Shibali River Women's Labour Camp
Shibali River Women's Labour Camp is a Chinese facility where female dissidents sentenced to re-education through labor serve their sentences. It is located in Zhengzhou city in Hunan Province. Shibali River is where Cheng Jianping was sentenced in 2010 after her three word Tweet...
in Zhengzhou city
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
in Henan Province.
Since the imprisonment Cheng has started a hunger strike protesting the sentence and seeking relocation closer to home. Her lawyer Lan Zhixue
Lan Zhixue
Lan Zhixue is a Chinese human rights lawyer and activist who co-founded the Institute of Democratic Society, a non-profit organization whose website proclaims "fair, reasonable and legal; dare to think, speak and act."...
and her fiance have appealed the sentence. (Under China’s legal system, police can send people to re-education through labor for up to four years without trial. Few appeals are successful).
The Chinese government's response brought attention to the risks of using Twitter for controversial political issues, as well as criticism from human rights and open technology groups. “Sentencing someone to a year in a labor camp, without trial, for simply repeating another person’s clearly satirical observation on Twitter demonstrates the level of China’s repression of online expression,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
’s Director for the Asia-Pacific. The organization further commented, "Cheng may be the first Chinese citizen to become a prisoner of conscience on the basis of a single tweet." Twitter CEO Dick Costolo posted to his Twitter account, "Dear Chinese Government, year-long detentions for sending a sarcastic tweet are neither the way forward nor the future of your great people."
Twitter is currently banned in China, but many people circumvent internet controls to use it.
Amnesty International said Cheng had participated in low-level online activism, including sending online messages in support of jailed Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
Laureate Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
. According to her fiance, Cheng's prior activism included signing petitions including one calling for the release of Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms and the end of communist single-party rule in China...
. Cheng had also been detained by police for five days in August of 2010 after voicing support for Liu Xianbin
Liu Xianbin
Liu Xianbin , from Suining, Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, is a human rights activist, China Democracy Party organizer, writer and signer of Charter 08.- Biography :...
, a long-time democracy activist dating back to the protests that preceded the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Liu Xianbin had been detained in 2010, suspected of inciting subversion of state power for criticizing China's Communist Party.
External links
- Wang Yi's twitter account, wangyi09
- Activist coverage from A Safe World For Women.org
- Activist coverage from Global Voices Online
- Activist coverage from Change.org
- Human Rights in China (HRIC)'s coverage of Cheng's lawyers' appeal to Twitter CEO for help