A new law in China against “rumor mongers” allows people who spread rumors to be arrested. People who intentionally post a rumor that is reposted 500 times or more, or viewed 5000 times can be arrested under the law.
However, these are not the only conditions under which people can be arrested using the new law as the first person arrested under the new law shows.
Yang Hui, a 16-year-old who questioned the death of a Karaoke employee was arrested for “spreading rumors,” and “inciting crowds to protest.”
He was also charged with “picking up fights and stirring up trouble” because he expressed that “the police knew long ago who the killer is.”
The police maintain that the Karaoke employee in question had committed suicide by jumping off a building.
Jumping off buildings and committing suicides seem to be common among Chinese workers and companies like Foxconn use steel wire meshes around buildings to prevent workers from escaping their situation by escaping the world.
In the instant case, a Karaoke parlor employee was found dead in the streets of the town in which Yang lived.
The police took the body of the dead man by force from his family and ruled that he had died by jumping off a building. It is common for citizens to refuse to hand dead bodies of their near and dear ones to the Chinese police for fear that all evidence of foul play would be destroyed.
Yang Hui, commented on the matter, posted pictures of street demonstrations and commented, “looks like people have to protest.”
The police arrested him on trumped up charges on September 17.
However, protests on the internet against the arrest of the minor made the Chinese government retreat and on September 23, Yang was released without charges.
First his custody was downgraded from criminal detention to administrative detention, and then removed.