Ai Weiwei

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Ai Weiwei: China Will Never Beat Internet

Censorship only builds pressure in Internet age, warns famous artist

(Newser) - Authoritarian societies are all about propaganda and control, but the Internet has destroyed both of those pillars, writes the famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in the Guardian . Unlike Russia's glasnost, China never really opened ideologically to the West, only practically. Then came the Internet, and thanks to blogs and...

China, Thailand Applaud Twitter Censorship

Dissidents fear losing free-speech tool

(Newser) - Twitter's controversial decision to allow censorship of tweets on a country-by-country basis has won praise from two of the countries with the busiest censors. In Thailand—ranked 153rd in the world for press freedom because of its strict laws against offending the monarchy—the country's information minister called...

Chinese Strip to Support Ai Weiwei

Pornography probe provokes dissident artist's supporters

(Newser) - Supporters of outspoken artist Ai Weiwei are using their bodies as well as their cash to defend him against the Chinese government. In response to news that an Ai assistant might face pornography charges over a nude photo he took of Ai with four women last year, scores of supporters—...

Supporters Send $840K for Ai Weiwei Tax Bill

But state paper accuses him of 'illegal fundraising'

(Newser) - Ai Weiwei has raised $840,000 toward his $2.4 million tax bill , thanks to nearly 20,000 people who have sent in donations to the Chinese artist and dissident. But Ai—who views the money received as loans, not donations—says he will repay it all, though, the Christian ...

Ai Weiwei's New Tax Bill From China: $2.4M

They're 'trying to scare me,' says Chinese dissident

(Newser) - Months after he was released from detention on tax-evasion charges, China’s leading activist artist has been delivered a $2.4 million tax bill. “The police have been trying to pressure me to just pay the bill, trying to scare me, warning that if I don't pay I'...

&#39;Beijing Is a Nightmare&#39;: Ai Weiwei

 'Beijing Is a 
 Nightmare': 
 Ai Weiwei 
opinion
Aug 29, 2011 11:51 AM CDT

'Beijing Is a Nightmare': Ai Weiwei

Activist artist describes city of repression and hopelessness

(Newser) - Free from the “mental torture” of his jail cell , Ai Weiwei turns his pen to his home city. There are two Beijings, he writes for Newsweek : "One is of power and of money," the other "one of desperation." The millions who come to Beijing each...

Ai Weiwei: Jail Was 'a Kind of Mental Torture'

Ai jailed for his criticisms of government, not tax evasion, says associate

(Newser) - Ai Weiwei spent his nearly three-month detention in a tiny cell, watched 24 hours a day by guards who were never more than 30 inches away whether he slept, showered, or used the toilet. “It is designed as a kind of mental torture, and it works well,” the...

Chinese Dissident's Sister Describes His Detention

Weiwei was kept in tiny room with two guards at all times

(Newser) - The sister of freed Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei says her brother was kept in a tiny, constantly lit room during his three months of detention with two guards present at all times, reports the Washington Post . “They stared at him without ever moving their eyes,” she said, even...

Beijing: Artist Weiwei Owes $1.8M in Taxes

He cannot speak publicly, but his family denies it

(Newser) - Beijing tax authorities are seeking nearly $2 million in back taxes and fines from outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who was released last week from nearly three months in detention. Before his release, Ai confessed to tax evasion and pledged to repay the money owed, Chinese authorities said. Ai is...

China Releases Dissident Hu Jia

But human rights activist now faces house arrest

(Newser) - The prominent Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia has been freed from prison, after serving three-and-a-half years for "inciting subversion," reports the BBC . Hu's wife posted the news on Twitter this morning. "We are fine and happy. Need to rest for some time. Thank you everyone,...

China Bans Ai Weiwei From Media, Internet

Rights activists criticize Beijing's conditions for release

(Newser) - Chinese artist and provocateur Ai Weiwei may be out of jail , but that hardly means he's out of trouble, as authorities have banned Ai from traveling or talking publicly for a year, reports Reuters . It's effectively a gag on the talkative and media-savvy artist. "The key thing...

Ai Weiwei Released After 'Confessing His Crimes'

No formal charges were brought against artists, detained April 3

(Newser) - China has released Ai Weiwei on bail, its state-run media announced today, saying that the artist had shown a “good attitude in confessing his crimes" and agreed to repay the taxes he was accused of evading. Beijing police also said Ai’s “chronic disease” had played into the...

Thousands Rally in Hong Kong
 Thousands Rally in Hong Kong 
Jun 5, 2011 8:18 AM CDT

Thousands Rally in Hong Kong

Group calls for human rights in China on Tiananmen Square anniversary

(Newser) - Tens of thousands turned out yesterday in Hong Kong to call for human rights in China and commemorate the June 4, 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, the Wall Street Journal reports. Organizers say 150,000 attended the gathering, while local media reports cite police figures—which are generally lower than...

After 43 Days, Ai Weiwei Allowed to Meet With Wife

Famed artist tells her he is in good health

(Newser) - Imprisoned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was granted his first family visit yesterday, 43 days after he was taken into custody, reports the BBC . Ai's wife, Lu Qing, was brought to a secret location to meet with him for about 20 minutes, under the condition they did not talk about...

Rights Groups Issue China Travel Warnings

'Freedom alerts' warn of danger to activists, journalists

(Newser) - Human rights groups urging travelers to avoid mainland China because of the suppression of dissidents have now issued special alerts for certain areas. The Hong Kong-based groups issued the highest level of alert for Beijing and Shanghai, warning that the cities have seen the largest number of repressive incidents since...

Salman Rushdie: Free China&#39;s Artists
 Salman Rushdie: 
 Free China's Artists 
OPINION
Apr 20, 2011 1:44 PM CDT

Salman Rushdie: Free China's Artists

Communist regime has become 'the world's greatest threat to freedom of speech'

(Newser) - Securing the release of Ai Weiwei , and the other artists China has arrested and silenced, “is a matter of urgency and the governments of the free world have a clear duty in this matter,” argues Salman Rushdie in an op-ed in today’s New York Times . The charges...

China to US: Fix Your Own Human Rights Problems

American criticism just a 'political tool,' says Beijing

(Newser) - The US should take a hard look in the mirror before it criticizes other countries over human rights, China says. “The United States ignores its own severe human rights problems,” said a Chinese report, “treating human rights as a political tool to vilify other countries and to...

China Rips Missing Artist as Disrespectful 'Maverick'

'We will not bend to mavericks,' warns state newspaper

(Newser) - The future doesn't look good for world renowned Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei. He hasn't been seen since cops grabbed him over the weekend at Beijing airport. Now China's state-run newspaper is attacking him as a "maverick" who "doesn't respect" China's laws. Officials from the US, Britain,...

Chinese Artist Missing After Cops Raid House

Authorities cracking down in fear of Mideast-style protests

(Newser) - Internationally renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei remains missing, more than a day after police stopped him at the Beijing international airport, raided his home, and questioned his wife and assistants. Ai—best-known as a consultant on Beijing's famous "bird's nest" Olympic stadium—has been an outspoken critic of China's...

China Won't Let Famed Artist Leave Country

Beijing fears he'll go to Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

(Newser) - The Chinese government is forcing perhaps the country's most prominent artist to stay in the country on suspicions he'll try to attend the Nobel Peace prize ceremony, the Telegraph reports. Ai Weiwei has stated he has no intention of going to Oslo for the Dec. 10 event, in which jailed...

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