China intensifies security crackdown

by Robert J. Saiget

BEIJING (AFP) – China‘s ruling Communist Party has intensified a crackdown on dissent ahead of a crucial political meeting next week and is likely to do the same in the lead-up to next year’s Beijing Olympics, rights groups said Thursday

Two of China’s leading democracy campaigners, Yao Lifa and Lu Banglie, went missing in recent days as part of security operations ahead of the party’s five-yearly Congress, which opens Monday, Chinese Human Rights Defenders said.

Several other dissidents in Beijing have also been put into police custody ….

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chinapoliticsrightsdemocracyoly2008chn_071011074449

China’s President Hu Sends “Good News Only” Order

Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Friday August 17, 2007
The Guardian (London)

China has ordered its media to report only positive news and imprisoned a pro-democracy dissident amid a clampdown on dissent ahead of the most important meeting of the Communist party in five years.

Media controls have been tightened, Aids activists detained and NGOs shut down as the president, Hu Jintao, prepares for the 17th party congress, when the next generation of national leaders will be unveiled in a politburo reshuffle.

Chen Shuqing – a founder member of the banned China Democracy party – suffered the toughest punishment meted out so far when he was found guilty yesterday of “inciting people to overthrow the government.”

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胡锦涛 Hu Jintao