Amnesty International Australia

Putting censorship on the agenda

Amnesty International plans to front up at the AGM's of Internet companies Yahoo! and Microsoft later this year, to voice concern about their role in online censorship in China.

Weekly report: Earthquakes, Twitter and compassion

The horrific Chinese earthquake has focused the world's attention on human suffering, but censorship issues were never far from the surface, writes Antony Loewenstein.

Couple’s enforced separation

Lou Hongwei’s husband languishes in a Chinese forced labour detention centre, and she is thousands of miles away unable to even visit him.

World headlines – 21 May 2008

In the latest wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

Internal paperwork from US technology company Cisco reveals it appeared to be willing to assist Chinese authorities in censorship, an online forum for the repressed Uighur minority is shutdown, and the Far Eastern Economic Review examines the case of jailed activist Hu Jia plus …

Call on Google to ‘don’t do evil’

Google continues to violate the fundamental human rights of Chinese citizens to freedom of information and expression. Call on Google to end their complicity with Chinese authorities in violating human rights.

Running risks for the news

News website Boxun.com is banned in China, it publishes stories that would have the Government censors seething.

World headlines – 20 May 2008

In the latest wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

Australia’s Four Corners’ program looks at how dissidents are being muzzled, crowds gather in Tiananmen Square to remember the victims of last week’s earthquake, and the New York Times on how censors were uncharacteristically hamstrung when they tried to control the earthquake news coverage plus …

It's rare for chanting crowds to gather in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. This video footage, from CCTV via YouTube, shows exactly that as China began three days of national mourning for the Sichuan earthquake victims

Debating Google in China

Internet company Google rejected a call to shareholders to do more to fight censorship in China, but the idea has fired up some debate.

" … If Google want to change things, they should not submit to China's demands and walk away if need be ... I fail to see how they expect to change things through obedience."

Human rights don’t slash profit margins

Corporate social responsibility is about showing a fundamental respect for human rights - unfortunately there are hundreds of businesses worldwide, mostly from developed nations, who don’t.

World headlines – 19 May 2008

In the latest wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

Authorities have ordered all major Chinese web sites to shutdown for three days of national mourning, Rolling Stone looks at new high-tech surveillance methods being used in the city of Shenzhen, and Government allows relatively uncensored discussions on-line about the Sichuan earthquake plus …

Yahoo! in China: Contradicting its values

Yahoo! was the first major foreign Internet company to enter the Chinese market in 1999.

Microsoft in China: Cosying up to the Government

Of all the Western IT companies operating in China none has better access to the upper echelons of the Chinese Government than Microsoft.

Google in China: Do no evil?

Google arrived in China relatively recently, only setting up a Chinese version of its www.google.com search engine in 2000.

World headlines – 16 May 2008

In latest wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

China’s leaders try to control how the media report the catastrophic Sichuan earthquake, a New York Times reporter sneaks into greater Tibet and prisoner of conscience Hu Jia is transferred to another jail plus …

Chinese find new ways to protest

People have a knack of finding ways around oppressive laws and repression of free speech. Some new and unusual methods are being used in China.

Life under surveillance

Yuan Weijing is not your typical young Chinese mother. She spends her life under round-the-clock surveillance: she’s been beaten, harassed, taunted and threatened.

World headlines – 15 May 2008

In today’s wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

A snapshot of Chinese newspaper editorials on the Sichuan earthquake, an expert dissects China’s role in the genocide in Darfur and looks at boycotts, and the Dalai Lama will speak to British parliamentary panel about human rights plus …

A foreigner friendly Internet

Websites blocked, searches re-routed – it’s likely foreigners in China for the Olympics will see an exclusive version of the country’s notorious, heavily-censored Internet.

Another Chinese journalist is jailed

Journalist Qi Chonghuai has been sentenced to four years in prison for fraud and extortion after a trial that lasted 12 hours, say his wife and lawyers.

World headlines – 14 May 2008

In the latest wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

The International Olympic Committee offers monetary aid after this week’s massive earthquake, how state censorship has put a Chinese actor is out of work and seven nuns are jailed for their part in March’s Tibetan protests plus …