China elections: Independent candidates fight for the ballot

By John Sudworth, BBC News, Beijing, 17 November 2016

China’s constitution allows independent candidates to run in local elections but it is a futile exercise for those who dare to get their names on the ballot. Continue reading

170. WANG QINGYING (Released)

Wang Qingying

Pen name              

Sex                               Male

Birth date                1982-03-01

Birth place              Sheqi County, Nanyang City, Henan Province

Resident place         Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province Continue reading

ICPC Statement on PEN International Day of Imprisoned Writers–Two Writers Honoured the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award

The Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) has honoured two imprisoned writers, HU Shigen and Mahvash SABET (f, Iran) the ICPC’s 2016 Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award for their courage and perseverance in writing and fighting for freedom of experission and other basic rights despite the long-term imprisonment. In addition, ICPC have named six writers as new honorary members, including ZHANG Haitao, Shokjang (Tibetan), LU Yuyu, HUANG Wenxun, LI Tingyu (f) and WANG Yuping. Continue reading

Writers on the 2016 US Election: Jennifer Clement

jennifer-clementIn Mexico we feel hurt and shocked to see that so many people in the United States, including Latinos and women, voted for Donald Trump. I am also deeply concerned to see, throughout the world, a growing tendency in politics for propaganda to replace truth.

-Jennifer Clement, President of PEN Internationa Continue reading

Porter Anderson: Frankfurt Book Fair Notes: Attendance Figures, Emcke’s Peace Prize

trade-visitors-in-hall-6-at-frankfurt-book-fair

Trade visitors in Hall 6 at Frankfurt Book Fair Friday (October 21) near the Publishing Perspectives office. Image: Frankfurter Buchmesse, Mark Jacquemin

As Frankfurt Book Fair’s press officers report a slight increase in trade-visitor attendance this year, the German trade gives Carolin Emcke its 2016 peace prize. Continue reading

JIAYANG FAN: Yan Lianke’s Novel Assesses the Moral Cost of China’s Growth

yan-lianke2

Yan Lianke. Credit Philippe Picquier

THE EXPLOSION CHRONICLES
By Yan Lianke
Translated by Carlos Rojas
457 pp. Grove Press. $26.

Continue reading

Chinese Activists Welcome Press Freedom Award to Bloggers, Rights Website

Chinese blogger Lu Yuyu and his girlfriend Li Tingyu

Chinese blogger Lu Yuyu (R) and his girlfriend, Li Tingyu, in undated photo. Not the News.

Chinese rights activists and journalists have welcomed a Press Freedom award handed to two detained bloggers and the Sichuan-based Tianwang rights website, amid fears that two of the recipients may be being mistreated in detention. Continue reading

China’s Cybersecurity Law Could be Used to Target Peaceful Activists

xi-jinping-gives-a-speech-at-the-internet-conference-in-wuzhen

Xi Jinping gives a speech at the Internet conference in Wuzhen, China, Dec. 16, 2015. AFP

China’s draconian new cybersecurity law, passed by the country’s rubber-stamp parliament this week, has sparked concerns that it will be used to further stifle individual freedoms after a crackdown on dissent that has lasted since President Xi Jinping took power. Continue reading