11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government did not respect academic freedom and increased controls at colleges, universities, and research institutes ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23151]

"The government did not respect academic freedom and increased controls on political and social discourse at colleges, universities, and research institutes. Scholars and researchers reported varying degrees of control regarding issues they could examine and conclusions they could draw. Some law professors were warned not to propose abolition of the reeducation-through-labor system. Scholar Xu Zerong, who was convicted in 2001 of providing state secrets abroad and conducting illegal business activities in connection with his research on China's role in the Korean War, remained in prison at year's end. In March Renmin University removed Zhang Ming as dean of the Political Science Department after Zhang made critical statements on his blog about Renmin University and the state of academic freedom."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Authorities canceled university conferences when they deemed the topics at issue to be too sensitive ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23152]

"Authorities canceled university conferences involving foreign and domestic academics on short notice when they deemed the topics at issue to be too sensitive. On occasion information outreach, educational exchanges, and other cultural and public diplomacy programs organized by foreign governments were subject to government interference. Foreign experts invited to participate in foreign government sponsored programs on certain topics were denied visas. In February authorities barred more than 20 writers from participating in the International PEN writers' conference in Hong Kong. According to press accounts, some writers were denied travel documents, some were turned away at the border, and others were visited by authorities before leaving and warned not to attend. Organizers of the PEN conference, which promotes writers' freedoms, stated that actions taken by authorities tightened creative freedoms over the past year."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government continued to use political attitudes as criteria for selecting persons for government-sponsored study abroad programs ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23153]

"The government continued to use political attitudes and affiliations as criteria for selecting persons for the few government-sponsored study abroad programs but did not impose such restrictions on privately sponsored students. The government and the party control the appointment of high-level officials at universities. While party membership is not always a requirement to obtain a tenured faculty position, scholars without party affiliation often have fewer chances for promotion.
Researchers residing abroad also were subject to sanctions from the authorities when their work did not meet with official approval."

Document(s): Open document

06.2007 - Source: Freedom House

Many scholars practice self-censorship in the interest of personal safety ("Freedom in the World 2007") [ID 20402]

"Academic freedom is restricted on sensitive political issues. Universities and research institutions must support official CCP ideology, and many scholars practice self-censorship in the interest of personal safety. Academics risk losing their positions if they publicly criticize the party or state policy."

Document(s): Open document

05.11.2004 - Source: BBC News

Russian physicist convicted of spying for China nearly a year after being acquitted of the charges ("Retrial convicts Russia space spy") [#26875],  [ID 3899]

Document(s): Open document

17.06.2004 - Source: Amnesty International

Dr Jiang Yanyong and his wife were arbitrarily detained in the run-up to the 15th anniversary of the military crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square ("China - Further Information on UA 200/04") [#23502],  [ID 3900]

Document(s): Open document
Open document

10.06.2004 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Dr. Jiang Yanyong, a government critic who exposed the government's cover-up of SARS epidemic, remains arbitrarily detained together with his wife ("Release Whistleblowing Doctor") [#23206],  [ID 3901]

Document(s): Open document

30.11.2003 - Source: BBC News

A Chinese student arrested for criticising the Communist Party on the internet has been released from prison ("China internet dissidents freed") [#17958],  [ID 3902]

Document(s): Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Academic freedom not fully respected; ideological control on political discourse ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11836],  [ID 3903]

"The Government did not fully respect academic freedom and continued to impose ideological controls on political discourse at colleges, universities, and research institutes. Scholars and researchers reported varying degrees of control regarding the issues that they could examine and the conclusions that they could draw. On January 29, Xu Zerong, a scholar who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the Korean War, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for "illegally providing state secrets" by sending confidential reference materials on the Korean War to a contact in Hong Kong.

The Government continued to use political attitudes as criteria for selecting persons for government-sponsored study abroad but did not impose such restrictions on privately sponsored students, who constituted the majority of students studying abroad.

Researchers residing abroad also have been subject to sanctions from the authorities when their work did not meet with official approval. Other foreign-resident Chinese scholars were detained in previous years."

Document(s): Open document

20.09.2002 - Source: Human Rights Watch

HRW: Detained AIDS Activist Wan Yanhai Released, But HIV/AIDS Information Still Restricted ("Detained AIDS Activist Wan Yanhai Released/ But HIV/AIDS Information Still Restricted") [#8705],  [ID 3904]

"The release of detained AIDS activist Wan Yanhai is a positive step, Human Rights Watch said today. But it is urgent that Beijing open flows of information about AIDS in China, the organization said.
Dr. Wan is the founder of one of China's most active AIDS organizations and is a well known AIDS educator and defender of the human rights of AIDS-affected people in China. He was detained in Beijing on August 24."

Document(s): Open document

30.08.2002 - Source: Human Rights Watch

AIDS activist who had planned to travel to Canada as the first recipient of a newly established human rights award disappeared ("Concern Escalates Over Missing Chinese AIDS Activist") [#8455],  [ID 3905]

"Many health experts fear that the AIDS epidemic in China is developing into one of the worst in the world,” said Mickey Spiegel, senior researcher in the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch. “It is only through the actions of people like Dr. Wan that there is any hope of dealing forthrightly with this public health and human rights disaster. Unfortunately, his courage in speaking out against human rights abuses in China has placed him at great personal risk.”
Dr. Wan, 38, had been under heightened police surveillance and was last seen in Beijing on August 24. Friends and relatives have been unable to contact him, and police officials have not responded to requests for an investigation into his disappearance."

Document(s): Open document

09.08.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Historian arrested for academic research ("China: Amnesty International calls for release of businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer and other Uighur prisoners of conscience") [#8183],  [ID 3906]

"[...]
This month Amnesty International also issued an international appeal for the release of Uighur historian, Tohti Tunyaz (who writes as Tohti Muzart). Like Rebiya Kadeer, he was detained on 'state secrets' charges after carrying out academic research into Uighur history in the XUAR. He was arrested in February 1998 and sentenced to 11 years in prison in March 1999 for "inciting separatism" and "illegally acquiring state secrets".
[...]
(also see Amnesty International 2002-08-01)"

Document(s): Open document

01.08.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Uighur historian behind bars ("Worldwide appeals August 2002/ China: Uighur historian behind bars") [#8074],  [ID 3907]

"[...]
Tohti Tunyaz, an ethnic Uighur from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in the northwest of China, is serving an 11-year prison sentence because of his research into Uighur history. He is a prisoner of conscience.
[...]
(also see Amnesty International 2002-08-09)"

Document(s): Open document

26.07.2001 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

China begnadigt zwei wegen Spionage verurteilte Wissenschaftler ("China begnadigt zwei wegen Spionage verurteilte Wissenschaftler") [#3124],  [ID 3908]

Document(s): j127.htm
Open document

19.06.2001 - Source: Human Rights Watch

HRW: Detention of Scholars and Human Rights Conditions ("Detention of Scholars and Human Rights Conditions") [#2185],  [ID 3910]

Testimony before the House Committee on International Relations

Document(s): 00129chi.htm
Open document