Recent controversial incidents of prosecution for criminal defamation have aroused immense public attention in China. Starting at 1 p.m. on February 16, a talk in Room 324 of the Meng Wah Complex at the University of Hong Kong will assess the issue of criminal defamation.

The speaker, Dr Yan Mei Ning, is an associate professor with the Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication at Shantou University. Yan's remarks will be based on a research project with analysis of 60 criminal-defamation cases in China from the past 30 years. The talk will discuss the relationship between criminal defamation, online activism and local protectionism. It will examine interventions by the central authorities in Beijing to halt the rising trend of criminal-defamation prosecutions and discuss the possibility of reform.

Communications Office
University of Hong Kong

(February 14, 2011)


China: a land of backlash for free speech.

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