A Chinese blogger has been arrested and criminally charged for insulting and defaming the country's fallen soldiers.
The charges for the owner of the Little Spicy Pen Ball website is the first case to be tried under a newly passed criminal law that took effect earlier in the month.
Qiu Ziming, a 38-year-old former newspaper journalist that owns the blog, has been arrested and criminally charged. If found guilty, Qui could be facing a prison sentence of up to three years.
Beijing's chief prosecutor office said that Qui's blog had "maliciously slandered and degraded the heroes defending our country."
Prosecutors were referring to a post that questioned whether China had lied about the number of soldiers that had died during a clash with Indian forces more than eight months ago.
Under the newly passed law, people that "infringe on the reputation" of fallen Chinese soldiers can be arrested and charged. The law specifically calls people that have sacrificed their lives for the country "revolutionary heroes" and "martyrs."
According to sources with knowledge in the matter, at least six other people have been charged with defaming "martyrs." The new law also seeks to criminalize posts and speech made outside of China.
Such is the case of 19-year-old Wang Jingyu, who is living in the U.S. and is wanted in his hometown of Chongqing.
Wang was charged after he had slandered dead Chinese soldiers in one of his posts on the Chinese social media website Weibo. Wang disputed the charge and said that it was yet another example of how China is seeking to fully control online speech.
"This is killing a monkey to scare the chickens. The Chinese state wants to show others that if anyone wants to be like me or relay the truth, then you will be pursued," Wang said.
The Chongqing public security bureau said that the government will continue to pursue Wang and others like him that had defamed fallen soldiers. The agency said those that break the law will be punished.
"Cyberspace is not outside the law. Public security organs will crackdown on acts that openly insult the deeds and spirit of heroes and martyrs in accordance with the law," the agency said.
