China is being subjected to an aggressive stepped-up crackdown on political dissent, a tightening of the authorities’ grip on the media and an increasingly loud chorus for political reform within and outside the ruling hierarchy following the widespread Jasmine Revolutions in the Arab world. There are growing voices within the Communist Party calling for the introduction of Western-style democracy as decades of economic progress without political reform leave the country wallowing in widespread corruption, inequalities and tense social conflict.
The unabated arrests and disappearances of human rights activists, lawyers, political activists and artists highlight the concerns Chinese party leaders have about the potential eruption of an Arab-style revolution. The arrest of political activist and artist Ai Weiwei triggered an outpouring of protest online and in the streets of Hong Kong, New York, London and other cities worldwide. In Hong Kong, giant images of Ai were projected onto landmark buildings, including police and government facilities.
An album of 28 black and white pictures was circulating on Facebook showing images with the words “Who’s afraid of Ai Weiwei?”
The answer is clear. Beijing is determined to silence its critics and has succeeded in its goal of temporarily silencing Ai, one of its most vociferous critics, as well as the dozens of activists, rights lawyers, writers who have “retreated into uncharacteristic silence and seclusion” upon their release, Human Rights Watch said. Ai was just one of more than 130 activists, lawyers, bloggers and tweeters detained.
They are silent because under Chinese law there is the concept of “deprivation of political rights.” Ai and his fellow activists have been deprived of their political rights, which in addition to the right to vote and stand for election, includes such basic rights as freedom of speech and the right to meet the media.
The “deprivation of political rights” at the end of a prison sentence has been part of China’s justice system for decades. But now the security forces are imposing this punishment at the beginning of the criminal justice process, without going through the formality of arrest, trial and sentencing. A good way to shut people up pre-emptively, without the hassle and publicity of a trial. By being deprived of their rights, they cannot speak or meet with the media.
“Chinese people’s freedoms of speech, association, assembly and religion continue to be ruthlessly suppressed, and lawless beatings, arbitrary detentions, unlawful searches, obscene tortures, coerced confessions and unfair trials prevail nationwide, despite the persistent efforts of China’s many able law reformers,” said Jerome A. Cohen, co-director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU School of Law.
This has to change if the Communist Party and its leadership want to survive in China’s wired world.