54 Jailed in China Over Internet Use
Country attempts to control online communication

 

Amnesty International has called for the release of 54 people imprisoned in China for expressing opinions on the Internet.

In a report released today, the human rights organization says it has documented cases of 54 people jailed for using the Internet, but said the figure was likely to be "a fraction" of the real number.

Here is the full text of the article, from Guardian Unlimited

 

54 jailed in China over internet use

AP in Beijing
Wednesday January 28, 2004
The Guardian

Amnesty International has called for the release of 54 people imprisoned in China for expressing opinions on the internet.

In a report released today, the human rights organisation says it has documented cases of 54 people jailed for using the internet, but said the figure was likely to be "a fraction" of the real number.

It adds: "There has been a dramatic rise in the number of people detained or sentenced for internet-related offences. China is said to have the most extensive censorship of the internet of any country in the world."

The report says prisoners include people who signed online petitions for reform, published non-official news about the Sars virus, communicated with dissident groups overseas, or called for a review of the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square. Detainees also include followers of the banned Falun Gong movement, it says.

The Chinese foreign ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. In the past, it has denounced Amnesty's claims as biased and baseless.

As internet use surges in China, so do government efforts to control it, Amnesty says. Officials try to control all online communication by blocking access to sites that discuss sensitive issues.

Amnesty said the 54 detainees - all "prisoners of conscience" - had received sentences of between two years and 12 years