The Communist Party of China (CPC) Internet regulator recently opened a hotline for reporting online comments that denigrate the ruling Communist Party and its history, claiming to crack down on “historical nihilists” ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and “create a good public opinion atmosphere for the centennial of the Party.
According to information released by the Reporting Center of the CPC Central Committee’s Internet Information Office on April 9, netizens can report historical nihilistic comments by other netizens that “maliciously distort, denigrate and negate the history of the Party and the state and the military” through the reporting hotline.
The report hotline accepts “historical nihilism” speech content, including, “distorting” the history of the CPC, “attacking” the leadership of the CPC and “slandering “martyrs” and so on.
The term “historical nihilism” is used in China to describe the public’s skeptical and even negative view of the CCP’s portrayal of historical events.
China’s Internet is heavily censored, and most foreign social media networks, search engines, and news media are banned from entering the country. China’s Internet regulators have increased censorship and online monitoring in advance of so-called major events. These “major events” include historical anniversaries, political meetings and sporting events.
Information from China’s Internet Information Office does not specify what penalties will be imposed on those who are reported, although China has introduced supporting legislation. China passed the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs in 2018, which prohibits people from “defaming heroes and martyrs.” And according to the new amendment (XI) to China’s Criminal Law, which took effect on March 1, those who insult or slander heroes and martyrs and harm the public interest, and whose circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of up to three years, detention, control or deprivation of political rights.
China’s well-known network vlogger “hot pen small ball” was arrested on March 1 this year by the Nanjing Municipal Procuratorate on suspicion of infringing on the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs. “He was arrested because he questioned online in February the number of Chinese soldiers killed in the India-China border conflict as announced by Chinese officials.
The Chinese military’s PLA Daily published for the first time on Feb. 19 the number of Chinese soldiers killed in the India-China border conflict last year. “A total of five PLA officers and soldiers were killed or wounded, four of whom died and one was seriously injured, in the clashes between Chinese and Indian troops that erupted in the Garhwan Valley on the border in June 2020,” the PLA newspaper said.
“Spicy Pen” believes that there were far more than five Chinese soldiers killed or injured in the conflict, but dozens.
Last week, China’s Jiangsu Internet police criminally detained a 19-year-old Internet user. He was previously reported for posting comments online that “insulted the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Under current law, Chinese social media sites that fail to censor critical content also face financial sanctions and suspension of services.
In addition to opening a telephone reporting hotline, China’s Internet Information Office’s reporting center has also set up a special area for reporting “harmful information related to historical nihilism” on its website, app and other channels to specifically receive public reports.
According to some observers, the opening of this hotline by the China Internet Information Office reminds people of the scene described in Orwell’s novel “1984”. In the novel, the TV screen monitors everyone, and everyone monitors each other and denounces each other.
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