The Easing Of Restrictions On A Chinese Activist: The Social Media At Work

Provincial authorities in China have heeded calls to ease the restrictions on blind legal activist  Chen Guangcheng, they are allowing him to accept medication sent to him by his supportes and allowing his six year old daughter to go to school.

It is interesting to ponder why they have taken such a move with someone they have regarded as dangerous and a threat for his calls for greater democracy in China.

What is interesting to contemplate is to what extent has the internet and social media played in this change of heart by the authorities.

The answer must surely be an enormous amount. Chen’s supporters have been able to galvnize public opinion and even sway government officials with postings about the conditions of his house arrest. In the past such information would have been passed by word of mouth, underground newspapers with limited readership and possibly foreign reporting broadcast into China by the likes of RFA.

Such methods of communication in any country but particularly one as big as China would have had limited reach and the delay between the information being obtained and then reaching the target audience would have made his plight more remote and impersonal. Today there is an intimacy with events and people because so much of what is being posted is fresh and new. As people sit down for dinner they have a very good idea of what Chen is going through at that very moment.

Some people will say this is simply stating the obvious and has been going on for years. And of course that is true, but it never hurts to remind ourselves that the virtual world has enormous possibilities for creating non-violent change for the better.

I could have cited the Arab Spring or similar major events that social media played a key role in but I believe we should never overlook the smaller victories because they build on each other.  Maybe the internet revolution’s greatest gift to society will be revolution via the internet. Virtual revolutions are likely to have far fewer casualties than the old fashioned sort.

The China Digital Times reported about the changes in Chen’s conditions today. The full story follows.

Sources close to the family of blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, who has been under house arrest at his home in Linyi since late 2010, told Reuters on Monday that provincial government officials in Shandong have answered calls to ease some restrictions on him and his family:

He Peirong, an activist based in the east Chinese city of Nanjing, told Reuters the Shandong provincial government had responded to some of the requests of Chen’s supporters. Those included allowing Chen to receive medicine sent by supporters and to allow his six-year-old daughter to go to school.

“He is at a delicate crossroads now,” said He, a Chen family friend. “The three conditions that we’ve requested the government for have basically been met.”

“Except the issue about seeking medical treatment — they haven’t allowed him to go to the hospital for a full check-up.”

County and town officials near Chen’s home who Reuters called about his case either hung up their phones when asked about him or said they could not speak to reporters.

He Peirong said she doubted that the recent concessions meant that Chen would win his freedom, an assertion backed by a source close to his family. Still, sources told He that some government officials believe they have “gone overboard” with the matter, indicating conflicting views about how to treat him.

While fellow activists, netizens, journalists and others have attempted to visit Chen, none have succeeded. Last week, ChinaGeeks translated a blog post by Beijing netizen Xiao Cuo, who sees Chen’s case as an opportunity for the development of civil society in China and urged fellow supporters to avoid violence and find creative ways to visit Chen:

On 27 November, he blogged about (as expected, the original is being deleted) his experience of distributing and putting up notices about Chen Guangcheng’s cause around Linyi city and Chen’s village. Rather than trying to approach him, they attached notices to electric poles, village house walls and even notice boards in Linyi University. These notices have attracted attention from students and local villagers. Perhaps the thugs responsible for holding up Chen are amongst them?

Xiao Cuo dubbed his project “Operation Old Military Doctor”. Back in the 1980s, roving doctors in China often boasted themselves as experienced “military doctors” who could cure many diseases in advertisements they put up on electric poles and street walls.

…

Tactically speaking, he advises netizens to adopt a low-profile, be swift in action, dress as locals and avoid going in large groups. Having a well-planned route is also important. To sustain public attention, he suggests disclosing operational results bit by bit first, before publishing a complete record. Sharing the route taken is also a good idea, so that others can plan different ones. Of course, his idea is only one possibility among many. He challenges netizens to use their imagination and implement even more brilliant plans.

In the meantime, the government’s Central Guidance Committee has named Linyi the “Most Civilized” prefecture-level city in China. The move has generated significant reaction from netizens, according to NDTV (see also a  YouTube video on the news):

Former Shandong University professor Sun Wenguang says the award is simply a propaganda trick by the regime.

[Sun Wenguang, Former Shandong University Professor]:

“Linyi prefecture is so dark and so backward. Chen Guangcheng was just standing up for people’s rights and he was locked up for a few years, and when his sentence ended, he wasn’t allowed to meet anyone, including reporters. His rights have been totally snatched away. When you consider the events that happened to Chen Guangcheng in Linyi, you could say it is a most un-civilized city.”