On this joyous Chinese New Year, please don’t forget the many locked-up “prisoners of conscience”

On the occasion of the annual Spring Festival, Chinese activists have issued a message, don’t forget the many locked-up “prisoners of conscience.” But Boxun’s reporter has discovered that “prisoners of conscience” is a sensitive word on Sina’s Weibo microblog platform and can’t be searched for or messaged. The result is that there is no news of “prisoners of conscience” being wished a Happy Chinese New Year.

Boxun founder Watson Meng sent a message saying: “At this special time, I want to wish a Happy New Year to my friends both in and outside of China. Especially to Mr. Xiang Nanfu. I hope that he and his family members have a peaceful and happy new year! Other than official announcements, there is no word from him.

Renowned online personality Bei Feng sent a message to prisoners of conscience saying: “Han Ying, Wang Mo, Liu Ping, Xu Zhiyong, Guo Feixiong, Guo Yushan, Pu Zhiqiang, Ilham Tohti, Chen Wei, Chen Xi, Zhu Yufu, Liu Xiaobo… they’re all probably sitting on wooden benches in their prison cells watching the annual New Year’s Eve TV variety show. When I think of this it fills me with infinite sadness.”

Renowned scholar Ai Xiaoming also sent a message saying: “A wish for a Happy New Year to those friends in prison who have struggled and sacrificed for our freedom and social justice! I hope you are at peace, you’re in my thoughts every day! Without you, how could the new year be happy?! Those celebrating Chinese New Year, please take a small action on behalf of the prisoners of conscience.”
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2015/02/201502190203.shtml