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Chinese shut down "separatist" student website

A website, created by Mongolian students, has been closed the 26 September 2005 by the Chinese authorities, for allegedly hosting "separatist" content. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) comments that this move is the result of the Chinese government's determination to gag cultural minorities. RSF furthermore stated: "Freedom of expression is still more restricted for the Mongols, Tibetans and Uighurs than for the rest of the Chinese population.
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Alert-China

China
Date: 03 Oct 2005
Violation: Access to Information, Freedom of Expression
Affected Persons: internet@rsf.org*Julien Pain
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These minorities are censored as soon as they express themselves on issues even remotely linked to politics. As everywhere in China, websites and local forums are carefully monitored and banned as soon as they show signs of dissent."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Created in September 2004 by Mongolian students, the http://www.ehoron.com
website was a platform of expression for about 1,300 Mongolian students who
were "Internet refugees" from http://www.nutuge.com, a site that was closed
in March 2004. Ehoron.com, which included a discussion forum, covered a range of subjects affecting Inner Mongolia without touching on human rights, politics or religion.

The Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre (whose site cannot be accessed from within China) quoted the forum's administrations as saying the reason given by the local authorities for closing their site was the "separatist" content that was being posted, apparently a reference to messages that had appeared in the forum criticising a Chinese TV cartoon
that portrayed Genghis Khan as a mouse with a pig's snout.

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