China: The True Voices of the People
The Chinese authorities have many ways of silencing opposition to their regime, but there will always be those who speak out for justice and freedom.
Below is an article by the BBC:
Although
CHEN GUANGCHENG
Lawyer for abused women, in jail
Mr Chen, a blind activist known as the "barefoot lawyer", has clashed with the authorities over the enforcement of
The 36-year-old has defended women whom he said were being forced into late-term abortions and being sterilised by over-zealous health officials in Linyi city,
He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison in August last year [2006], after being convicted of damaging property and disrupting traffic.
The sentence drew international criticism, with campaigners and supporters claiming that the prosecution was politically motivated.
Mr Chen, who remains in jail, has won several international awards for his work.
REBIYA KADEER
Minority rights campaigner, lives in US
Mrs Kadeer is a well-known campaigner for the rights of
She was a successful businesswoman and philanthropist until her arrest in 1999 for allegedly endangering national security.
Her crime was to send local newspaper reports about the Uighurs to her US-based husband.
That these reports were freely available did not prevent her from being jailed. She was freed in 2005 and allowed to leave
Mrs Kadeer, twice-married and the mother of at least 11 children, continues to criticise the communist rulers from her home in the
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
GEDHUN CHOEKYI NYIMA
Tibetan religious leader, uncertain whereabouts
In 1995, six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was selected by the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
He was seen as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama - the second-most important figure in Tibetan religion, culture and politics after the Dalai Lama himself.
Three days later he was detained by the authorities - the last time his supporters saw him.
Mystery surrounds his fate, although officials in
BAO TONG
Former mandarin, under house arrest
Bao Tong was an adviser to the Communist Party's general secretary Zhao Ziyang at the time of the
Both men had opposed the brutal crackdown on the protesting students, and both suffered for their stance.
Mr Zhao was replaced as party boss by Jiang Zemin, and Mr Bao was handed a seven-year jail term.
Since his release, he has lived under house arrest, managing to smuggle out occasional essays criticising
In a letter released at the time of his former boss's death in 2005, Mr Bao wrote that the authorities were "constantly worried about Mr Zhao and determined to erase his name from the hearts and minds of the people".
His letter went on: "Their purpose is none other than to prevent 1.4 billion people from advancing toward a society of modernity, democracy and law."
SHI TAO
Journalist, in jail
Shi Tao, who worked for the Contemporary Business News in
It is thought he sent an e-mail describing the efforts made by the Communist Party to censor reporting in the run-up to the 15th anniversary of the
His case has become a cause celebre for free speech campaigners - not least because internet firm Yahoo has been accused of informing on him.
The US-based web giant was said to have passed on details of his whereabouts to the authorities.
Mr Shi - a writer and a poet - was awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom from the World Association of Newspapers earlier this year.
GAO YAOJIE
HIV/Aids activist, lives in
Dr Gao is famous for exposing
Her work helped to reveal how corrupt blood-selling deals infected thousands of people with the virus in the 1990s.
Companies known as "bloodheads" offered money to peasants in return for donations.
The firms - run by officials and businessmen - would take the blood, remove the plasma and inject the remaining blood back into the peasants - often using dirty needles or infected blood pools.
Dr Gao overcame a climate of secrecy to end the practice and draw attention to the scandal.
The authorities were initially lenient with her, but
She has been stopped from going abroad twice since 2001 to receive prizes, and is said to have undergone several periods of house arrest.
Earlier this year she was allowed to visit the