China: A blow to citizen bloggers

Below is Zola's recount of what he's been through over the past few days and his abrupt conclusion. In a second blog post since his forced return earlier this week he talks of redirecting the space to focus more on blogger education, but also mentions some unfinished business related to his time in Shenyang.

It's not the specific type of violence he claims he encountered at the hands of police while in custody there, he seems to have brushed that off. Nor is it having been in custody for more than the legally allowed 24 hours or possibly having been turned in by the ant farmer he was trying to help. Zola, reminding readers of his rural socioeconomic background, wants back the USD160 he says security agents confiscated while he was being held; in this message to readers, he threatens to sue to get it back.

In his Dec. 6 account of the previous few days’ events, Zola writes of an angry police officer punching him several times in the neck and all the events leading up to and following the night he spent in detention. His first day in Shenyang was largely uneventful, food with online friends and the arrangement of a meeting with one ant farmer for the following day:

第二天,我准备去辽阳,睡到十点才起来。临出发时拍了一段自拍,说要去辽阳了。为了感谢小众软件的scavin 的昨天的款待,我就拿小众软件的LOGO作为背景录了这句话。然后去网吧检查一下是否有新的朋友的留言需要审核,拍了蚁力神官方网站的画面。然后坐车去辽阳,再换车去佟二堡(当地话读”同二卜”),两点左右才见到网民叫”村长”的蚂蚁养殖户,才见面,他就接到电话说有公安局的要去他家。我说要想听他们谈什么,于是一起去了他家。准备把相机放在他家的某个角落录音录像,结果他老婆怕我给他们带来麻烦,于是被阻止了。我就去他家楼上的仓库回避了,正好在阳台上拍到警车,也看到了蚂蚁的箱子。后来也看到”村长”跟警察一起坐车走了。等他们走了,我再下楼和”村长”老婆聊了几句,拍了他们的QQ群里的蚁民对法院宣布蚁力神破产的公开信的”几点看法”,然后上楼找活蚂蚁,结果都是死的,不知道饿死的还是冻死的。

The next day, I was going to go to Liaoyang, and didn't get up until 10am. When I was ready to leave, I shot a quick interview of myself, and then set out to Liaoyang. I stopped by an internet bar to see if I had any comments in moderation, and took a screenshot of Yilishen's official company website. Then I got on the bus to Liaoyang, where I caught another bus to Tongerbao, meeting “Chief”, the ant farmer I met online at around 2pm. Right when we met, he got a phone call and told me that the police were on the way to his home. I said I wanted to go and listen in, so we went to his home. I was just taking my camera out to put in the corner and record everything, but then his wife started worrying I might bring them trouble and wouldn't let me. I went up to the storage room in their attic to get away from her, and just happened to be filming from the balcony when the cop car arrived. I also saw some boxes of ants. Then “Chief” got in the car with the police and left. Once they were gone, I went down and had a chat with “Chief's” wife, getting down “a few thoughts” they had regarding the open letter in their QQ group which addressed the court's announcement of Yilishen's bankruptcy. After that I went up stairs to look for some ants, but they were all dead. Don't know if it was from the cold or if they starved.

然后我就离开他家了,走到一个路口再坐三轮摩托回到了佟二堡这个小镇。心想天都快黑了,回辽阳这个大点的城市的住宿费还贵些,于是找了一个小店,老人家说要收15元一个隔间,我说十块,他说十二,然后我给他二十元,他找不开零钱,于是只收了我十元。我觉得冷,就睡了一觉,晚上九点多才起来。然后出去找东西吃才发现下雪了。吃了一个面,然后去网吧上网,上网才五元。征得网吧老板同意,我接上网线到自己的电脑,然后编辑视频,上传照片和视频,发表了《周曙光在沈阳寻访黑蚂蚁养殖户2007-12-02》。

Then I left their home and went down to the corner and caught a moto-tuktuk back to tiny Tongerbao village. It was about to get dark, and going back to the larger city center would mean more expensive accommodation, so I stayed and found a small place to stay. The old guy said private rooms were 15 yuan, so I said 10. He said 12, but then I gave him a 20 and he didn't have change, so only charged me 10. It was cold, so I took a nap, and got up again around 9pm. I went out to get something to eat and saw it was snowing. I got some noodles and went to an internet bar and paid 5 yuan. With the boss’ permission, I plugged in my laptop and started editing the video, uploading that and the photos, and then I posted '12/02/2007: Zhou Shuguang Travels to Shenyang to Inquire about the Black Ant Farmers’.

天亮后,没法坐车去葫芦岛见另一个蚂蚁养殖户,我又回旅舍睡了两三个钟头,然后听路人的建议坐车去茨榆坨换乘葫芦岛的车,到了茨榆坨才发现葫芦岛有蛮远,葫芦岛的人建议我在辽阳找一个当地的养殖户。他答应联系一下辽阳的同命人。后来我就等到李先生的电话,他说他就住在苏麻堡,我问他家还有没有活蚂蚁,他说可能有,回家找找看。他让我坐回佟二堡的车,然后在苏麻堡路口下车。我说我听不清是哪几个字,让他发短信给我,李先生就发短信”苏麻堡路口”给我。我坐车到苏麻堡路口,然后打电话给他,他说就是在”村长”家再过去100米。我再坐摩托车到了以后,推着自行车的李先生就出现了,我们正走着,后面一辆普通小车里出来一个白胖方脸大个子,让我们站住,先问我叫什么名字,我说我姓周叫周曙光,他说你跟我们走,然后另一个瘦一点的出示了一个证件,没看清。我就不慌不忙的跟他们上车了,李先生也上车了,我们坐后排,没挨打也没带上手铐,也没多说为什么带我们走。在车上,他们只让我关了手机,把手机还给了我。一路上我和李先生聊东北和湖南的差异,而那个白胖方脸大个子则接了五个电话,每次都是说”在路上,他们跟我在一起呢”。看来是几道来自上级的金牌在督办抓我的事。估计我一来沈阳就被重视了,昨天找”村长”就是冲我来的,我的短信和通话都被记录了。也有要能是李先生协助警方找我。

At dawn, there were no buses going to Huludao where I wanted to meet another ant farmer, so I went back to the room and slept for a few hours. Then later I decided to take someone's advice and go first to Ciyutuo and from there catch a bus to Huludao there. But when I got to Ciyutuo, I noticed that Huludao was actually quite far away, and the guy in Huludao suggested I just find a local ant farmer in Liaoyang instead. He said he'd help me get in touch with someone in the same plight as himself. So later I got a call from a Mr. Li, who said he lived in Sumabao; I asked him if he had any living ants left at home, and he said there might be, that he'd look when he got home. He told me to take the bus back to Tongrenbao, and get off at the road to Sumabao. I told him I couldn't hear clearly what he was saying, and had him send me an SMS, and “the road to Sumabao” is what I got. I called him when I got there and he said he was just 100 meters past “Chief's” home. I took a motorbike there, and then Mr. Li showed up pushing a bicycle, and then we started to leave. A big guy with a white, fat, square face got out of a small, normal-looking car just behind us, and told me to freeze. He asked me my name, I said Zhou Shuguang, and then he told me to go with them. Just then another skinnier guy came and showed his ID, but I didn't see it clearly. So I walked calmly and got into their car. We sat in the back, they didn't beat or cuff me, and without saying much they drove the two of us off. In the car, they turned off my cellphone and then gave it back to me. On the way, I just chatted with Mr. Li about the differences between the northeast and Hunan. The big guy with the fat white square face got five phone calls, and each time he'd just say “we're on the way, they're here with me.” It seemed the higher-ups had put their top guys in charge of catching me. I assumed I must have been watched since the minute I got to Shenyang, that coming for “Chief” yesterday was actually to get me; my text messages and phone calls had all been recorded, and it's even possible that Mr. Li had aided the police in finding me.

差不多半个小时后,开车到了灯塔市公安局。上到四楼,是经侦,五六个人站在两三个办公室门口”欢迎”我。然后把我和李先生分别安排不同的办公室。过程中一直没有粗鲁行为。房间里是一个领导的办公桌,桌上一台联想电脑。左侧是一个茶几和两张小沙发,右侧是一张小床,估计是他们常加班用来休息用的。我坐在一个办公室左侧的沙发上,一个多小时里只是守着我,没问任何问题。我只确认了当时的时间是2点,确认传唤每次只能是24小时。我还跟他借了一本刑事案件相关的法律来消磨时间。

About half an hour later, the car stopped at Dengta City police station. We went up to the 4th floor, Investigations, and 5-6 people were standing at the office door to “welcome” me. Then they led Mr. Li and I into separate offices. Throughout it all, there was no rough behavior. At one desk in the room, one leader sat at a desk; on the desk was a Lenovo computer. To the left there was a tea-table and two sofas. On the right was a small bed, presumably they put in a lot of overtime and need it to rest. I sat on one of the sofas on the left, and for the first hour and some he just watched over me; didn't ask a single question. I was only able to confirm that it was 2pm at the time, and that at most they could detain me for only 24 hours. I even borrowed a book from him on laws related to criminal cases to kill the time.

后来,开始有一个小伙子开始询问我在沈阳的细节,跟哪些人接触,和哪些人打过电话,受何人指使,有何目的。我当然是坦白啦,我又没做错任何事。做了一份笔录后,然后让我打开背包,他们就一件件检查啊,我就一台电脑、一个黑莓7230、一个小手电筒、一把五元钱从天桥买的来类瑞士军刀、一个” 蚂蚁工坊” 和三只活蚂蚁、一个三脚架、SD卡、还有一个索尼记忆棒、一个U盘还有几个读卡器,那个索尼记忆棒把他们弄糊涂了,明明我没有相关设备,怎么会有索尼记忆棒,让他们去猜测吧。他们要看我的QQ里的记录,结果我的TM版的QQ是前天才下载的,我根本没有和谁聊过,那天加入的QQ群也被解散了,最近联系人里啥也没有。上卫生间是有人陪的,想喝水人有帮我打来水。手机不让玩,把电池取下来了。

Later, one small guy began to question me on the details of my trip to Shenyang, who I'd been in contact with, who I'd spoken to on the telephone, who put me up to this, and what my aim was. Of course I was honest, and I hadn't done anything wrong. We did one recorded statement, and then they made me open my backpack and searched through it, item-by-item. One laptop, one Blackberry 7230, one small flashlight, one swiss army knife I'd bought for 5 yuan on an overpass, one “ant town” set and three living ants, one tripod, one SD card, as well as one Sony memory stick, a flash disk, and several card readers. The Sony memory stick confused them—I clearly didn't have the accompanying equipment, so why would I have a Sony memory stick? I just let them guess that one. They wanted to see my QQ chat history, and since I'd just downloaded Tencent Messenger two days prior, I hadn't really chatted with anyone. The ant farmer QQ group I'd entered the same day had been deserted, there wasn't even a contact person left in it. When I went to the washroom, someone accompanied me. When I wanted some water, someone went and got it. They wouldn't let me play with my cellphone, and took the battery out.

一晚上来来往往不少人陆续进来旁听,提问,或质问,我和他们舌战啦。舌战的焦点不外乎”言论自由””新闻自由””观点客观””采访资格””有否有法律约束我的行为”这些焦点。虽然他们会假装生气来质问我,我又初生牛犊不畏虎,我当然不会输啦:

1. 他们认为”没有绝对的言论自由”,我说我不需要绝对的自由,只是法律允许下的自由;
2. 他们认为”你不了解蚁力神所以不要说”,我说我正因为不了解我才去试图了解;
3. 他们认为我的观点不够客观,我就说事情有多个面,我的观察面只是采样统计的一个采样,按统计学的方法,只给足够多的采样才接近真实和客观;
4. 他们认为我”自称采访却不承认冒充记者”不能自圆其说,我说”采访”不是记者的专利,我不是记者我也有资格和任何人对话,中国的法律规定任何采访只需要征得被采访对象和所在单位的同意;
5. 他们认为我拍摄了警车是违法的,我说你们怕因为办案被照相或录影受到犯罪分子报复,那是你们的内部守则,请找出相关的法律条款证明条款对我有约束力;
6. 我报道敏感新闻影响国家形象,我就举出飘移大赛的事例证明不宜提到国家民族高度来说事,如果有人受到伤害,那不是被我伤害的,是被事实伤害的,要想不被报道影响自己的形象,请自己避免做出影响自己形象的事;
7. 言论自由能监督小错识,避免小错误发展成不可收拾的大错误;
8. 言论自由是愿意承担自由的言论自由,即使是明知有何效果,只要他愿意承担相应后果,他就可以选择造成后果的表达方式,比如,有人知道说真话会被打击报复,这个时候他就有选择的自由:要么沉默,要么呐喊。如果愿意呐喊就要承担后果他就要选择呐喊的言论自由。

The whole night, a number of people kept coming in and out to sit in and listen, asking questions, or interrogating me, and I argued back. The focus of my argument was nothing more than “free speech,” “freedom of the press,” “objective viewpoint,” “qualification to conduct an interview,” “whether there existed laws restricting my movement,” things like these. Although they would act angry when making interrogating, I'm not afraid of anything, of course there was no way I was going to lose.

1. They felt that “there is no absolute freedom of speech,” and I said that I don't need absolute freedom of speech, just that which the law allows;
2. They felt “you don't understand Yilishen, so you shouldn't be speaking about it,” and I said that it's precisely because I don't understand that I'm trying to understand;
3. They felt that my views weren't objective enough, and I said that there are different sides to everything. My objective side is but one sample within a statistical sampling set, and according to the laws of statistics, only with sufficient samples can one approach truth and objectivity;
4. They felt my “pretending to be conducting interviews, yet refusing to admit to imitating a journalist” wasn't plausible, and I said “interviewing” is not patented for journalists only: I may not be a journalist, but I am qualified to speak to anyone I want. Chinese law stipulates that any interview only requires agreement from the interviewee or location involved.
5. They felt that the act of me photographing their police vehicles was illegal, and I said ‘fear that in investigating a case, photographs or recording might lead criminals to exact revenge would make this an internal regulation; please produce the relevant provision in the law to which I'm bound;
6. I report on sensitive news, which apparently affects national image, so I mentioned the motorcar finals drift incident as an example of the inappropriateness of over-emphasis on ethnicity when making arguments: if someone winds up hurt, it won't have been me who hurt them, but fact. Those who wish to not have their image affect by reporting should please avoid engaging in events which effect their image;
7. Freedom of speech supervises small mistakes, and prevents them from becoming unmanageable large mistakes;
8. Freedom of speech is willingness to take on the freedom that freedom of speech brings; wherein even if the consequences are clearly known, as long as one is willing to accept the consequences, one can choose to express one's self in a way which brings said consequences. For example, if someone knows that to speak the truth will bring retaliation, at this time he has the freedom to choose: stay silent, or speak out. If being willing to speak out means accepting the consequences, he will choose the freedom to speak out.

24小时内共做了五份笔录:

1. 关于辽宁所见所闻所接触的人和事的详细记录,包括和scavin一起的活动,包括liumiao、梅同学和许同学给我的赞助费用;
2. 关于网站为何建立在国外的原因、动机、目的、费用来源、支付方式,我告诉他们我的alouz.com是被要求删除文章过的,我当然要顺便批评一下 “非营利网站备案制度”啦,我估计那份笔录会至少让省级别的领导看到,我要趁机传递我的观点给那些当领导的人,假如他们当领导的人还有开明的,我还能算得上自下而上配合他们的改革;
3. 关于《谁愿意去沈阳报道蚁力神养殖户的相关情况?》的动机、目的笔录,他们打印出来问我的动机和目的,我当然如实交待一方面是为了对敏感新闻的好奇,另一方面是为了卖广告位增加浏览量和知名度;
4. 关于手机里的联系人的笔录,我手机里有六百多个联系人,国保承诺不删除我的电话号码后,我才输入黑莓手机的解锁密码,当着我的面检查,只抄下十来二十条名字,如时代周刊的许小姐、香港陈剑青、德国之声等人的情况,我就告诉他,许小姐采访过我,陈剑青是因为我去香港的时候往在他家里,德国之声的电话是他们在评选最佳中文博客时用那个电话打电话采访过我,估计他们是调查我是否有海外关系,是否有境外资金支持;
5. 关于我在今年元旦的《新年第一篇:我反对共产党,反对一党专政》一文的动机、目的的笔录,这篇文章是有理有据的,不算号召和煽动,主要是讲没有媒体的外部监督的情况下容易让小社会问题变成大的社会问题。对了,他们很聪明啊,打印的版本居然是mobile版本的

Over the 24 hours, I made a total of five recorded statements:

1. A recording regarding everything I'd heard and all the people I'd come in contact with in Liaoning, including activities with my net-friend Scavin, also including the financial assistance received from net-friend Liumiao and classmates Mei and Xu;
2. Regarding the reasons, motives, goals, funding sources and payment methods for my overseas-hosted blog. I told them that my previous alouz.com was ordered to have posts deleted, and of course I'm critical of the regulation that non-profit websites must be registered. I'm sure that at least this recording will be seen by the provincial-level leaders. I hope for chances to pass on my views to these leaders. If any of these leaders were open-minded, I might just be assisting their reforms from the bottom up;
3. Regarding my post “Who's willing to go to Shenyang to report on the situation of the ant farmers?”, a statement on my motives and aims; they printed it out and asked me what my motives and aims were. I of course told them the truth, on one hand I came out of curiosity toward sensitive news, and on the other hand to sell ad space, raise readership and my level of fame;
4. A statement regarding the contacts in my cellphone, of which there are over 600. After the state security agent promised not to delete my contact numbers, I unlocked my Blackberry and let them inspect it while I watched. They only wrote down 20-something names and info for people like Ms. Xu from Time magazine, Chan Kim-ching in Hong Kong, and the Deutsche Welle people. I told him that Ms. Xu had interviewed me, that I'd stayed at Chan Kim-ching's home when I went to Hong Kong, and the Deutsche Welle number was the one they used to interview me while they were choosing the Chinese contender for their Best of Blogs. I guess they're checking to see if I have connection to overseas groups, or if I receive funding from overseas;
5. A statement regarding my motives and aims in my New Year's Day post this year, “Against the communist party, against one-party dictatorship”. This post was balanced and fair, and doesn't amount to calling for action or instigation; it mainly speaks of the ease, in absence of external media oversite, with which small social problems become large social problems. Right, they're very smart. The version they printed out was actually the mobile version.

整个晚上,灯塔市公安局的灯光彻夜未熄,我能见到的就有来来往往十多人,有当地公安、经侦、国保。晚上九点左右吃了一个他们送来的盒饭,盒饭里有火腿肠、有鸭脖子、青菜、红烧肉、豆腐干。我常常是躺在沙发上小睡一会儿,做完前面三份笔录时已经是凌晨五点多了,他们让我到另一个房间的小床上睡了一会。

12月4号早上七点左右,被叫醒,一起去楼下食堂吃早餐,有小米粥,有卷子,有咸菜,每桌六个人左右,共五桌,估计有三十个一起整夜未眠。吃完早餐,又断断续续做笔录,做完后面两份笔录后,有一个领导来找我,约六十岁左右,头发都灰了,戴眼镜,很和气,他进来就气氛不同,别人说这是李处长,估计是沈阳或是北京对我关注的最高负责人,我和他握了一下手,然后聊,他只说了湖南的人打来电话,然后不记得聊了什么重要的内容了,后来他接了一个电话就走开了,没有继续和我聊。我估计是想和我做一个总结谈话,然后放了我。

12月4号中午的时候还在做笔录,我和记录员都没有吃中饭,然后一点左右他们给了我一个康师傅方便面。对了,做最后一个笔录的时候,有一个人说”你是真正的勇士”,我没听清楚,他又说了一次”你是真正的勇士”,估计他是看我敢因为媒体管治而写反对一党专政文章能把他的胆吓破,也估计他是真正在赞赏我而不是在嘲笑我。后来也有人评价我,我也问一句”是嘲笑我还是赞赏我”,然后说声”谢谢”。

The Dengta Police Station's lights were on glaringly throughout the entire night, and of the people I could see coming in and out there were over ten. Some were local police, some were investigators, some were state security agents. At around 9pm they gave a rice lunchbox to eat, inside there was cured ham sausage, duck neck chunks, greens, red braised pork and dried tofu strips. I spent a lot of time on the sofa taking short catnaps, and by the time we finished the first three statements it was already past 5 in the morning. Then they brought me to another little room to get a little sleep.

They woke me up at around 7am, now Dec. 4, and we went down to the canteen for breakfast. They had millet congee, steamed buns, salted pickles. Each table sat six people, and there were five tables, so around 30 people didn't get any sleep that night. When we finished breakfast, it was off-and-on again with the statements. When we finished the last two, one higher-up came in to see me, he was around 60, hair was all grey, wearing glasses, and very polite. The mood felt different after he walked in. This is Director Li, someone said, and I guess that between Shenyang or Beijing he was probably the highest-ranked person involved in my case. I shook his hand, and we chatted for a while. He only said that their Hunan office had phoned, and I don't remember anything else important in what he said; he went to take a phone call, and then left without saying anything more. I guess he just wanted to give me a summary talk before they let me go.

By noon on Dec. 4 I was still giving statements, and neither the recorder nor I had had lunch. At around 1pm they gave me a bowl of Master Kong instant noodles. Ph yeah, as we were doing the last statement, someone said to me: “you're a true warrior.” I couldn't hear clearly, so he said it again, “you're a true warrior.” I guess seeing me dare write a post in opposition to one-party party dictatorship because of its controls on media scared the balls off him. I think he actually was giving me praise, and not just mocking me. Later, someone else gave me their own assessment, and I asked: “are you mocking or praising me?”, and then I said “thank you.”

做完最后一份笔录,我仍然不知道他们会怎么处理我。然后又问我打算怎么办,我建议他们给我一份官方的态度,然后由我的BLOG转发,可以一定程度上安抚蚁民的情绪。但他们基层的人说很难让我的BLOG 有承担官与民对话的机会,这需要层层上级审批,并且是极大的给我面子的事,可行性不高。除非上层领导能够认识到我的BLOG的作用,但估计他们的领导不太不机会和时间来了解我。

然后他让我写一份保证书,我就保证不给政府添乱,保证不煽动情绪,劝导群众给政府时间来登记和清算蚁力神公司的资产,蚁民的损失只能由蚁力神公司、蚁民、政府各承担一部分,比如,蚁民说自己损失了四十万,其实只是投资十万,他们可能会要求得回四十万,政府会认为这算法是不对的,最终结果只能是三方各担一部分。政府知道蚁民的情绪有些不理智,所以要求蚁民不要去北京上访,不要去拦铁路。这是我从他们对话中听到的政府的态度和作法,具体有多大的受灾面积和涉及资金,我只听说有人在统计数字时看到了会流泪,我没有得到任何具体数据。

估计可以离开了,他们的记录员和其它熟悉电脑的人来跟我聊天,说我是电脑高手,要跟我多学学。记录员说想看国外的黄色网站,问我怎么能看到,我就告诉他们有一个开源的免费的TOR可以使用,使用TOR+FIREFOX+FoxyPorxy就可以访问大部分国内外网站了,我还告诉他们VPN的大概工作方式。他们早就知道安静的和没边的这些软件。我也不怕他们”知已知彼”来加强封锁,反正TOR是封锁不了的,除非到了”全民皆匪”的那一天。

After we finished the final statement, I still didn't know what they were going to do with me. They asked me again what my plans were; I suggested they give me an official position, so I could post it on my blog and, to a certain extent, help calm ant farmers’ emotions. But they said it wouldn't be easy to allow my blog take on role of facilitating communication between officials and the people. They'd need their supervisors’ permission, not to mention that this would seem like they were giving me mad props, so the likelihood wasn't high. Only if their supervisors were able to come to realize the usefulness of a blog like mine, but it's not like they have the opportunity or time to come to see what I'm about.

Then they made me write a letter guaranteeing that I would not create disturbances for the government, that I would not instigate people's emotions, and that I'd encourage people to give the government time to make their records and liquidate Yilishen Co.'s property. The ant farmers’ losses could only come from Yilishen Co., the ant farmers and the government each taking on their own part of the burden. For example, ant farmers were saying they'd lost 400,000 RMB, when really they'd only invested 100,000 RMB. They can demand 400,000 in compensation, but the government will not see this amount as correct, and in the end it can only be all three parties taking their own share. The government knows that the people's emotions are a little irrational, and that's why it hasn't let them go to Beijing to petition or block the railways. This is the government attitude and approach that I heard from their conversations; as for how widespread the disaster is and how much money is involved, I only heard that there was someone who, when they saw the total figure, started to cry. I was not given any concrete data.

When it seemed I could leave, the recorder and the other familiar computer people came to chat with me, saying that I was a computer master, and they wanted to learn a few things. The recorder said he wanted to see some foreign porn websites and asked me how. I told them there's this open source free thing called Tor that they can use with Firefox and FoxyProxy that will allow them to see most overseas websites. I even told them the basics of how to use a VPN. They knew all about software like Silence and Wu-jie. I'm not worried about them “knowing the enemy” and stepping up censorship. Anyway, Tor is unblockable, unless there comes a day when everyone goes “bandit.”

后来,他们的局长和记录员找到一个能连接外网的电脑,要求我删除最近两篇文章,理由是里面出现了警车,会让人产生联想影响警察形象,我说,如果删除了反而会引起人们的更多联想,我的个人品牌也会受到质疑,我之前的言论自由和之后的言论自由都会消失,我以后无法在朋友面前立足,我说我无论删除和不删除都会承担责任,我让他们给我一个能转达给网友的理由,我让他们告诉我如果不删除我将承担什么样的后果,我会在后果和删除文章之间作一个选择。但他们不告诉我不删除会怎么样,只给我一个选择就是删除,没有用任何恐吓。我告诉他们,我吃软不吃硬,你得告诉我删除文章的理由,你得告诉我是根据哪条法律对我的行为有约束力。他们也没法找相关依据,最后不了了之。所以文章没有删除。

But then, the station chief and the recorder found a computer with an internet connection and told me to delete my two most recent blog posts, the reason being that they contained photos of police vehicles and would lead people to make associations and impact police work. I said, if I delete them it's just going to make people make even more of these associations; my personal brand will also be subject to suspicion. The freedom of speech I used to have won't be there anymore, nor will I have any standing before my friends. I said that regardless of whether I delete them or not, I'll still have to take blame. I told them to give me a reason I could pass onto readers, and to tell me what sort of consequences I faced in not making the deletions, and that between the consequences and not deleting, I'd be able to make a decision. But they would not tell me what would happen if I did not delete, only giving me one choice: delete. They didn't try to intimidate me. I told them, I comply with light-handed techniques, not heavy-handed. You need to tell me the reason for making me delete these two posts, and which law it is that placing such restrictions on me is based. They were unable to find a corresponding law, and gave up. So the posts were not deleted.

12月4号下午三点多,有一位着警装的人要我的身份证,还问我在身上有多少钱,我说我只有1235元了,他说要我把钱给他买飞机票送我回家,我说我不想坐飞机,我自己坐火车回去好了,我的钱来之不易。他们就凶起来了,说”我们是对你太仁慈了是吧?”着警装的警察边喝连一拳打在工的锁骨和脖子之间的部位,我怕他打坏我的眼镜,我就把眼镜取了,旁人就开始把门关上。他又敲了一下我的脑袋,然后继续骂我,最后还一掌砍在脖子上,我说不出话来了,我想起来孙志刚死的时候全身是没有外伤的,我决定沉默,先保住小命再说。这样一来,之前他们给我的正面印象全改观了。我不跟他们闲聊了,我说我还是不相信你们。

下午四点左右,四人送我上警车,我坐后排,夹在两人中间,自始至终没有看见过手铐。到了机场后,他们花4650元买了三张到沈阳的飞机票,我看到他们拿了一摞钱,估计是一万元整。我也看到他们交接时把我那1200元和身份证是放文件夹里的,我估计他们拿走我的钱并不是真的缺办案经费,而是防止我突然跑掉然后潜伏在辽宁继续记录蚁力神事件,我估计他们会把钱还给我。

At just after 3pm on Dec. 4, one uniformed cop asked for my identity card, as well as asking how much money I had on me. I said I only have 1,235 RMB. He said he wanted me to give him the money which he would then use to buy a plane ticket to send me home. I said I didn't want to take a plane, that going back by train was good enough, and that I don't have much money as it is. Then they turned fierce, saying ‘oh, we've been to kind to you, have we?’ The uniformed cop started punching me in area between my collarbone and neck. Afraid he was going to break my glasses, I took them off, and then someone closed the door. He started knocking on my head, and then swearing at me. Finally he fist-chopped me in the neck. I couldn't speak. I thought of how when Sun Zhigang died there were no external injuries on his body, so I decided to keep quiet. Keep little me alive for now and worry about the rest later. From this point on, the good impression they'd given me up until then completely changed. I stopped chatting with them, saying I didn't trust them anymore.

At around 4pm, four people put me into a police vehicle. I sat in the back, squished between two people; throughout all of this I didn't see a single pair of handcuffs. When we got to the airport, they spent 4,650 RMB on three plane tickets to Changsha. I saw them take out a big stack of money, which looked like ten thousand flat. I also saw them put my 1,200 yuan and identity card into an envelope. I assume they took my money not because they needed to cover travel costs for the case, but to stop me from running off and going underground to continue doing my reports on the Yilishen incident. I assumed they'd give me my money back.

上飞机前,另一个人开车把我的笔记本电脑送回来了。这台电脑被人他们检查了近二十个小时。还好电脑里没什么大不了,能把机器还给我,我就喊万岁了。

上飞机,我仍然坐他两位国保的中间,一个年轻的姓王,一位年长的姓翟(zhai)。在合肥半路停下的时候,可能是手机自动开机了,也可能是没关,正好接到BBC的电话,我就说我在送回长沙的路上,他们不让我乱说,我又把电话关机了。

九点四十,到达长沙黄花机场,有长沙省安全厅的来接。见面时发现是省厅直接安排宁乡县的国安来接我们,直接送到宁乡,国保让煤炭坝的公安来宁乡接我回煤炭坝,结果煤炭坝的人不来,只好再把我从宁乡送到煤炭坝。宁乡的国保姓欧,另一个民警在宁乡下车去安排王同志和翟同志的住宿了。可他们下车时,把三张机票和王同志的身份证明掉在车上了,我把机票和那张纸转交给欧同志,然后问他要身份证后1200元。他说王同志和翟同志没给他,回宁乡后再问问他们。

在煤炭坝派出所,我又被煤炭坝的干警黄同志作了一份笔录,记录我在沈阳的行踪。然后他告诉我煤炭坝也有很多不稳定因素,告诉我不要乱说话。还主动提出如果我的店开张了,可打电话让他在开张的时候邀请他去镇镇场,有什么治安问题也可向他反应。但近段时间不要出远门,要出去要给他打个电话。

Before we got on the plane, another one drove over with my laptop and gave it back. They had been inspecting it for nearly 24 hours. Luckily, there was nothing too important on it.

On the plane, I was still sitting between the two state security agents, one young surnamed Wang and another older surnamed Zhai. Halfway there we stopped in Hefei, and it might have been that my cellphone turned itself on or that it was never shut off, but right then the BBC called. I said I was on the way back to Changsha. They wouldn't let me say too much, and I turned the phone off again.

At 9:40, we arrived at Changsha Huangji Airport and the Changsha provincial Security Department was there to pick me up. While we met I noticed that the Department had sent security agents straight from Ningxiang County to pick me up, and take me straight back to Ningxiang. The state security agents had the Meitanba police come to Ningxiang to pick me up and take me back to Meitanba. Turns out the Meitanba people wouldn't come, so they had to take me from Ningxiang to Meitanba as well. The Ningxiang state security agent was surnamed Ou, and there was civilian cop who stayed in Ningxiang to find places to stay for comrades Wang and Zhai. When they got out, they dropped the three plane tickets and comrade Wang's identity card right in the open, and I picked them up and gave them back to comrade Ou. Then I asked him about my own identity card and my 1,200 yuan. He said comrades Wang and Zhai hadn't given them to him, but that he would ask when he got back to Ningxiang.

At the police station in Meitanba, I did yet another recorded statement for a Meitanba cop, comrade Huang, a record of my movements in Shenyang. Then he told me of many unstable factors here in Meitanba, telling me not to say anything crazy. He even went out of his way to say that if I do go ahead and open my own vegetable shop, to give him a call when it opens so he can come take a look, and that if there are any crime issues to let him know. But for now, he said, you're not to go too far from home. If you need to go out, you have to give me a call first.

然后我们西峰仑的保卫处的何同志开摩托来接我回去,送我到楼下。

回到家,已经是两三点了,弄了点东西吃,就睡了,睡到五号下午才起来。都两天没睡好了,还是家里舒服啊。

12月5号,啥事也没干,上网,在饭否和TWITTER上和朋友简单说了一下,就说安全。检查一下电脑有何异动,结果只发现删除了与蚂蚁相关的照片和视频,也不知道是否打开过我的Gtalk或skype,这需要我的线上好友来查证了。我从3号下午到四号凌晨是没有上过线的,如果有朋友见我在那段时间上线,请告诉我。我好去做改密码之类的措施。

12月6号,今天,答应中午要写东西,先打电话给黄干警问他有没有欧姓的国保的电话,他说没有,再打电话给湖南省安全厅的李处长,问我那1200元是怎么回事,能不能给我欧同志的电话,他说不关他的事,你自己想办法联系上他们。我只好写在BLOG上喽。我估计灯塔市的公安、网监们能看到我的 BLOG,希望你们把钱还给我。我这一写就两三个钟头。

希望看到这篇文章的灯塔市国保zhangqicheng和wangqingyou能与我联系一下,把飞机票钱还给我,坐飞机不是我的意愿,坐飞机时已经超出24个小时传唤时间限制,你们已经超期限制我的人身自由,如果不把钱还给我,我去告你们贪污或非法抢夺公民的财产。

Then the auxiliary officer comrade He back in our Xifenglun came on his motorbike to pick me up, and dropped me off at my building.

When I got home it was already 2 or 3. I got something to eat and then went to sleep, waking up on the afternoon of the 5th. For two days I didn't sleep well, and it's always more comfortable at home anyway, so..

Dec. 5, did nothing. Went online and put a few lines on Fanfou and Twitter to let friends know what was up and that I was safe. I checked my computer for anything unusual, but only noticed that they'd deleted all photos and video related to ants. I don't know if they turned on my GTalk or Skype, I'll have to check when friends come back online. I wasn't online from the afternoon of the 3rd to early morning of the 4th, so if friends saw me online during that time, please tell me. Of course I'll be changing my passwords and taking related measures.

Dec. 6, today, I said at lunch that I'd write something. First I gave officer Huang a call to ask if he had security agent Ou's phone number. He said he didn't, so I phoned Director Li at the Hunan Province Security Department, asking what was going on with my 1,200 yuan and if he could give me comrade Ou's phone number. He said it was none of his business, telling me to figure out my own way of getting ahold of them. All I can do is blog this. I assume that the Dengta City police and internet monitors can see my blog, so I hope you give me my money back. Writing this took me 2-3 hours.

I hope that if Dengta City state security agents Zhang Qicheng and Wang Qingyou see this, that they can get in touch with me and give me the airplane ticket money back. Taking the airplane was not my idea. The time the flight took already put you over the 24 hour time limit on detaining me; you already overstepped your limits on my freedom of person, and if you don't give me my money back, I'll sue you for corruption or the illegal plundering of a citizen's property.

If you've been following Zola's blogging career, you might have read of the controversy this autumn over payments he received from those whose stories he blogged, with one subject in Xining accusing him of theft. Zola addresses this briefly at the end of this post in a manner which suggests the matter is quite complicated. All parties concerned seem to have made their sides clear in different places online, and Zola's peers from within the active blogging community seem to have left the issue behind.

In closing to the above post, Zola lists several ways readers can continue funding his blogging pursuit or support his possible upcoming legal battle, from adding money to his mobile phone card to buying ads on his blog. For those seeking to deposit to his bank or PayPal account, he provides a disclaimer:

请不要付款时给我除广告位置之外的任何其它要求。如果被警察认为我收受不明巨额资金,他们会把你当成境外反动势力的资金支持,所以,请不要给我捐太多钱,更不要在捐款时要求我的资金的使用是透明的,也不要对有其它要求,不能管我怎么去花你捐给我的钱;

Please, when you make the deposit, do not make any requests other than the size of your ad. If police see it as me receiving large sums of funding from unclear sources, they will see you and your funding as an overseas reactionary power. So, please do not give me too large of a donation. And especially, when you donate, do not make requests to me for transparency in how I use the funds. Also do not make any other demands of me, you cannot oversee how I spend the money you donate.

我以后不会再重出江湖了。授人以鱼不如授人以渔,我已经用半年多的时间以身作则告诉大家方法了:

I won't be getting back in the game after this. You can give a man a fish, but teaching him how to catch one is even better. I've already spent more than half a year as a living example to everone on how this works:

1. 写BLOG 真实的表达自己的想法是合法的,
2. 权利来自意识的觉醒,只有自己才能救自己;
3. 压迫是正常的,放弃抵抗是不正常的;
4. 履行公民义务,维护公民权利;
5. 建立市民社会,维护公共空间。
6. 改革是自下而上的,别指望英雄来救你,即使有英雄–如果是自上而下,他也只会成为下一个独裁者,狼去虎再来;
7. 普及民主意识,提高国民文化教育水平。

拯救你们自己的任务就交给你自己了。我对目前任何人的生死没有责任和义务,能救你们自己的只有你自己。别来我这里寻找正义和真相,正义和真相都是唯心的定义,你认为是真相那就是真相吧,关我屁事。

1. Using a blog to truthfully express your thoughts is legal;
2. Entitlement comes from awakening of the conscious, one can only save one's self;
3. Oppression is normal, giving up resistance is abnormal;
4. Fulfill your obligation as a citizen, uphold citizens’ rights;
5. Establish urban society, defend public spaces.
6. Reform is bottom-up, don't count on heroes coming to rescue you. Even if there is such a hero, in a bottom-up society, he can only become a dictator; when wolves go, tigers move in;
7. Make democratic awareness universal, raise the people's cultural education levels.

The task of saving yourselves is in your own hands now. I have no responsibility or obligation to anyone currently in a situation of life or death; the only person who can save you is yourself. Don't come to me looking for justice or truth; justice and truth are things of idealism; if it's the truth to you, then the truth it is; it's certainly none of my damn business.

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    —- [转贴]北京市司法局要求律师慎重代理蚁力神诉讼的紧急通知 (http://club.cat898.com/newbbs/dispbbs.asp?boardid=25&id=1971060)

    ——————————————————————————–

    — 作者:成为螃蟹
    — 发布时间:2007-12-7 11:57:28

    — [转贴]北京市司法局要求律师慎重代理蚁力神诉讼的紧急通知
    北京市司法局要求律师慎重代理蚁力神诉讼的紧急通知

    各区县司法局律(公)科、市律师协会、各律师事务所:

      近日,我处接有关部门通报,反映辽宁省蚁力神天玺集团申请破产后,部分蚂蚁养殖户聚集进京上访并拟聘请我市律师代理诉讼活动的情况。我局对此高度重视,为了维护我市律师形象,规范我市律师执业行为,保障人民群众合法权益,维护首都社会、政治稳定,现将有关事项通知如下:
      据了解,2007年11月27日,由王奉友、王凤才担任法定代表人的辽宁省蚁力神天玺集团有限公司及其所属9家企业,因经营不善、严重资不抵债提出破产申请,王奉友向广大养殖户谢罪。11月30日,沈阳市中级人民法院依法裁定,受理其破产申请并予以公告。目前,企业全部账面资金余额与需返还养殖户资金存在巨大亏空,处于严重资不抵债状况。蚁力神天玺集团是直接面向广大养殖户开展拟黑多刺蚂蚁养殖业务并以蚂蚁为主要原料生产、销售保健品的民营企业,该公司这种养殖业务是一种企业与养殖户之间在自愿基础上签订和履行民事合同的民事行为,双方都有自己的合法权利和义务,也同样有承担后果的责任,相关各方都应有承担市场风险的心理准备和承受能力。企业破产是市场经济条件下的一种正常经济现象。根据破产法规定,人民法院将依法指定由有关部门组成的清算组为破产管理人,依法处理企业破产事宜。
      鉴于蚁力神案件亏空的金额巨大,牵涉的范围很广,养殖户人数较多,处理的难度较大,另外企业目前正处于破产清算过程中。因此,北京市司法局要求各律师事务所,要站在讲大局和维护社会稳定的角度,认真重视此事件。各律师事务所及广大律师要审慎司法评论,不宜接受境内外媒体的采访,不宜通过网络等方式发表对此案的评论;要审慎接受蚁力神天玺集团养殖户的委托。如遇相关情况,请及时向我处报告。
      特此通知。

              北京市司法局律师工作管理处                      二OO七年十二月五日

    ——————————————————————————–

    — 作者:yhxia5108
    — 发布时间:2007-12-7 12:28:45


    俺认为司法局此举欠妥当!
        
        维护大局跟接受境内外媒体采访有何关系,跟网上发表评论有何关系,这明明是要封锁消息。

        其实维护大局,就是要稳定群众情绪,耐心细致的说服群众依法维权倒是问题的关键,把法律关系、法律维权能够达到的程度说清楚,才是关键的,而这其中的许多却是可以通过网络和媒体的,为什么要封锁呢?
        
        还是官僚思想在作怪!

  • kklulu

    商人若不勾结官府何以能骗取民间的巨额民脂民膏,,政府肯定有渔利,还要欺负上诉的蚁民,,看不下去了,国将不国

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