China: Citizen reporter Zuola becomes a potential threat to state security?! · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Three days ago, on Nov 20th, Zuola sent out a twitter message reporting that he could not get through the Customs from Shenzhen to Hong Kong:
I can't get in Hongkong, not allow me leave from China, I don't konw why. And I call somebody for ask help. May be OK latter.fuck blacklist.
Within a few minutes, his message got re-tweetted around and he further explained his situation:
I have the HK travel card for chinese citizens and passport, the police check all of my ID card for 30 minits then say no.
Zuola is one of the most famous citizen reporter in China as he has been traveling around the country writing on issues like the Chong-qin Nail house and the Ant Farmer Protest.
Rebecca Mackinnon quickly blogs about his current status with a nice description of his controversial image:
Zola has stirred up controversy by turning himself into a commercial brand while at the same time committing citizen journalism. He has been called many things by many people: The “nailhouse blogger.” “Enfant terrible of the Chinese blogosphere.” A Chinese journalist-blogger friend of mine calls him “post-modern.”
This time Zuola planned to travel to Germany via Hong Kong for the Best of Blog Awards ceremony. He explains his trip in his twitter stream:
致阻止我离境的人：我是去的德国之声做国际博客大赛的评委，只7天，这个没什么嘛。24号到30号的往返机票都买了，不要搞得我象政治犯似的，我的国际形象会受损的。帮我说说好话。不然媒体又会乱猜，以为我犯了什么罪。
On the next day, Zuola tried to get through the immigration in Shekou, he failed again:
又被蛇口码头拒绝出境去香港，船票全额退款了。他们警察建议我回长沙找当地公安。他们给不出任何书面证明来证明我被阻止出境，也不能出示理由。我决定回长沙去索要理由。
On 22 of Nov, he arrived at Changsha and tried to figure out a way to get his name off from the black list:
到达长沙。得找谁把我从黑名单除名？我犯了什么罪？是否享受罪犯待遇？答案在今天揭晓。
He failed to find the answer again:
国保和国安都说找不到领导，无法请示。那我明天星期一早上八点去长沙市公安局国保支队找他们要个说法。他们说你去的话，个个认识你。窃喜。
Finally today, he got an explanation:
姓周的便衣在会议室接待了，承认禁我出国的手续是他们长沙国保支队作出的，他认为我”可能危害国家安全”。他拒绝出具书面文件证明我受到禁止出境的待遇。
Then he called for SOS:
[SOS]我需要律师和媒体朋友的帮助！怎么举证证明我的人身自由受到了合法或非法的对待？是不是需要公安局举证倒置？由他们证明我收到合法限制？什么情况下可得到证明？
In the end, he decided to cancel his trip and go home:
我不能去德国了，我也告诉德国之声我不能去德国了。明天回煤炭坝镇，继续打理我的店子。不游荡了，免得党和政府对我出门在外放不下心。
A new twitter account freezoula was set up quickly to retweet comments on the issue, here is a selection:
[locked] keep the internet performance art up until an end comes to this~
[locked] ..impact. Zuola isn't doing Dem. Party work, or part of the democratic movement…that something as common and small as this..
peijinc That's how black boxes operate. You can sue, but who knows if any lawyers will help you.