[Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy report: "China Shuts Down or Restricts 6,000 University-Related Online Discussion Boards in Advance of 'June 4th'"]

(26 May 2009) - This Centre has learned that as the 20th anniversary of "June 4th" approaches, Chinese authorities are extremely nervous. Between the afternoon of 22 May and 0900 hours this morning, at least 6,100 online discussion boards which are related to universities and junior colleges have been "silenced." Netizen postings in the discussion area of some websites have been completely prohibited. Other discussion boards allow only netizen posts which do not criticize the government and have been reviewed in advance by an official. This prohibition on speech by Chinese authorities is affecting online discussion by 10 million netizens.

This Centre has learned that on the afternoon of 22 May the online discussion boards related to Beijing's universities and junior colleges were completely closed to netizen posts. Subsequently, the sending of messages to university online discussion boards in Shanghai, Tianjin, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi was restricted, with the only netizens allowed to post being an extremely small number approved by officials. As of this morning, all the major online discussion boards related to universities in all provinces throughout China, including Tibet, Xinjiang, and Sichuan, have been silenced. According to this Centre's statistics, 6,100 college-related online discussion boards have been "silenced" between 22 May and 0900 hours this morning. It is estimated that as many as 10 million netizens cannot post messages as normal. The prohibition by officials involves not only well-known universities like Beijing University and Qinghua University, even online discussion boards of colleges like the "Chinese People's Public Security University" have not escaped. That university's discussion board normally has several hundred posts every day, but since the afternoon of 22 May all posts from that university have been prohibited on China's best known search website Baidu [tieba.baidu.com]. No new posts have appeared since the morning of 22 May on any university, junior college, or occupational school discussion boards of the Beijing area on Baidu. No one at all has been allowed to post there since 22 May, whereas usually there are more than 100,000 posts per day in the areas for Beijing's universities and junior colleges.

It is not known at present how long the "silencing" by the authorities will continue, but it is expected that the prohibition will not be lifted until after "June 4th."

The main body of professors presenting classes to the students in all of China's universities were college students themselves at the time of "June 4th." At that time, 90 per cent of college students participated in demonstrations. As the 20th anniversary approaches, more and more of those professors who in the past "did not want to bring up the subject but dared not forget" have intentionally or unintentionally mentioned "June 4th" as they lectured, thus greatly increasing attention and discussion of "June 4th" by today's college students.

Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 26 May 09