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POLITICAL FREEDOM IN CHINA
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POLITICAL FREEDOM IN CHINA
Introduction
Background Information
According to a report by Freedom House 1 , China ranks among the lowest on political freedom. The Chinese government fosters the arbitrary arrests and imprisonments of the defenders of democracy 2 . The political activists and oppositions are subjected to torture for criticizing the government. One of the significant challenges to political freedom has been the lack of independence of the judiciary and the judicial processes. For decades, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has dominated all social institutions. The judiciary has become an extension of the state, making it ineffective in protecting the rights of political activists. The judiciary has also failed to protect the rights of those who wish to form political parties and demand for freedom 3 . Hong Kong is one of the regions in China that has, for the past two decades, been fighting for political freedom and independence. The pro-democracy protest has occasionally been thwarted by the police, who sometimes use excessive force. The CPC uses the instruments of power, such as the police to intimidate the pro-democracy activists.
According to the Transparency International, the freedom of the media in China has been violated . This happens even when the country has a constitution that protects media freedom and the right of expression. The CPC controls the media, especially the social media. Using sophisticated internet security control measures , the government can track down individuals considered to be trying to ‘subvert the state’ by spreading propaganda in the media 4 . The government controls the political information that is posted or accessed online. Additionally, the government controls the mainstream media and determines the kind of information to be conveyed to the citizens and the international community.
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How Chinese Government Handles Political Dissidents
The CPC is the most powerful institutions in China. It influences all the social institutions and determines the course of action for those considered to oppose the government. The CPC aims at protecting the status quo, especially the political and economic principles and ideologies under communism. Any ideologists that are against communism are perceived to be a threat to communism and the regime. The goal of CPC is to ensure that the central government controls power . Therefore, the government rejects any opposition, including the call for political freedom.
The government uses different strategies to deal with those who are considered to be political dissidents 5 . According to the Transparency International report (2017), China has one of the highest numbers of political dissidents who have been detained or imprisoned. Additionally, the number of journalists and activists who are arrested arbitrarily, are also highest in China. The government uses arrests and detentions to intimidate those who wish to advocate for political freedom and democracy. In 2017, for instance, there were allegations that the police used excessive force to deal with Hong Kong protesters. Apart from making unjustified arrests, the police also roughed up protesters to discourage them from continuing with the calls for political freedom .
The second strategy has been the control of the judiciary. Without the independence of the judiciary , the political dissidents and other activities, cannot be protected against the self-interests of the state. The CPC uses the judiciary to achieve its objectives. For instance, the government detains hundreds of political activists, but the judiciary has no power to change the status quo. The influence of the judiciary by the government also denies the people the legal redress, especially on human rights abuses 6 . The judiciary advances the interests of the state instead of that of the citizens. The status quo in China explains why most people fear to demonstrate against the government. The resultant effect is that people allow the political evils to continue for fear of being arrested and denied the access to justice.
The third strategy is the control of the media. As aforementioned, the government wants to main the status quo by controlling information. The control of the print, electronic, and the social media gives the government an upper hand in shaping the narrative in the country 7 . Any journalists who convey information that is considered to be criticizing the state is arrested and detained. In order to be perceived to be acting within the law, the government uses the “subversion of state power" and "protection of state secrets” clauses found in the laws of the country . This justifies the actions taken by the state to make unwarranted arrests and detentions.
Finally, the government monitors, arrests, and denies political dissidents the access to an attorney. In some cases, the arrested individuals are detained in informal facilities, where they are harassed, tortured, and even killed. These incidents are mostly unreported because of the fear of negative repercussions.
Main Theme
The central theme in the political challenge affecting China is politics and power. The CPC has always wielded power , which helps the government to influence the social institutions. The government uses the power to protect the self-interests, including maintaining the status quo. The central government wants to control all the power to influence the people and to use it against those perceived to criticize the government. The government fears the political freedom and democracy because that will interfere with the power balance. Usually , in a democratic country , there is the distribution of power. The government empowers the people and institutions such as the media. With the freedom of expression, people can criticize the government and advocate for change without the fear of being arrested or subjected to inhumane treatment. In such governments, the power resides in the people. In China, empowering the people is considered to be a threat to communism and its ability to take control of all the institutions.
In conclusion, the political freedom in China is curtailed by the government with an aim to protect the status quo. The government influences the media to control the information that people at the local and international levels can access. The government uses the arbitrary arrests, the denial to due process, and torture to deal with political activists. As a result, the government can protect its power of influence and other interests.
References
Belkin, Ira. "China's Criminal Justice System: A Work in Progress" Washington Journal of Modern China, 6(2). 2000
Foot, Rosemary (2000). Rights beyond Borders: The Global Community and the Struggle over Human Rights in China. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-829776-9.
Jesse, Hearns-Branaman. A Political Economy of News in China , Lexington Books, 2015.
Jonathan, Hassid. "China's Contentious Journalists: Reconceptualizing the Media." Problems of Post-Communism 55(4), 52–61. 2008.
Sautman, Barry. "Paved with Good Intentions: Proposals to Curb Minority Rights and Their Consequences for China ." Modern China Special Issue: New and Old Diversities in Contemporary China . 38: 10–39. 2012.
1 A non-governmental organization in the United States. It conducts studies on democracy, political freedom, and human rights.
2 Belkin, Ira. "China's Criminal Justice System: A Work in Progress" Washington Journal of Modern China, 6(2). 2000
3 Foot, Rosemary (2000). Rights beyond Borders: The Global Community and the Struggle over Human Rights in China. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-829776-9.
4 Jesse, Hearns-Branaman. A Political Economy of News in China , Lexington Books, 2015.
5 Persons who are perceived to challenge existing ideologies, institutions, doctrines, and policies. In China, the political dissidents, especially in Hong Kong, have been calling for democracy, political freedom, and the rule of law.
6 Jonathan, Hassid. "China's Contentious Journalists: Reconceptualizing the Media." Problems of Post-Communism 55(4), 52–61. 2008.
7 Sautman, Barry. "Paved with Good Intentions: Proposals to Curb Minority Rights and Their Consequences for China". Modern China Special Issue: New and Old Diversities in Contemporary China . 38: 10–39. 2012.
