Chen Shaowen is a
Chinese web author who posts essays on his personal website that are critical of the ruling
Communist Party in
China. The former
police officer who was fired for supporting
pro-democracy movements was arrested by the
Chinese Communist dictatorship on two occasions for “
slandering the
Chinese Communist Party” by writing articles that, among other things, say, “... for 50 years, the
Chinese Communist Party has fooled people, brainwashed people and carried out crude political rule.” He could face up to thirteen years in prison. In his
essays, he calls for
independent labor unions, something
China frowns upon, since they tolerate only government-run
labor unions.
Shaowen's case represents a growing control of the media by the government in China, including the censorship of websites such as Google and AltaVista. These sites link to websites operated by the Falun Gong, an outlawed religious sect, and human rights groups who criticize China's treatment of the Falun Gong and the Tibetan people.
Forgive me for linking to the outside, but this website proved to be an invaluable source of information about Shaowen and also a vital resource for those who wish to get involved: Committee to Protect Journalists: www.cpj.org