Man Jailed after "Offensive" Wechat Comment
Source Global Times CN, Reddit
Police have detained a man, surnamed Yang, for five days for posting insults against traffic policemen on a chat group.
The
post is related to police from Jieshou, East China's Anhui Province
watching out for incidents of drunk driving on Monday night in the rain.
Yang
wrote, "Are they stupid enough to check drunk driving in the rain?
These idiots are just that poor" in a WeChat group of 240 members he
organized.
Yang was detained for five days for posting the insulting messages and disrupting public order, Jieshou police said on Sina Weibo.
It said that Yang confessed and realized his mistake.
However, Zhong Lan'an, a Beijing-based lawyer said that the police were abusing their power.
"Publishing
offensive comments on police is definitely wrong, but it's not enough
to disrupt social order. And citizens are entitled to publish their
criticism of the civil servants," Zhong noted.
China's Constitution stipulates that "citizens of the People's Republic of China have the right to criticize and make suggestions to any state organ or functionary."
But citizens should express their disappointment
and suggestions toward the government in an appropriate and rational
manner, Zhong said.
A regulation issued by the Cyberspace
Administration of China on Thursday stipulates that organizers of group
chat should have their identification verified, and shoulder the
responsibility of managing the group chat.
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