Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is back on Twitter, condemning the Chinese government’s detention of bloggers and artists who had previously protested his own 2-month prison detention. It is believed that this violates a gag order that was a condition of Ai’s release.
Twitter is blocked in China but the censorship can be circumvented through use of VPNs and other tactics. Ai speaks English but his primary audience is domestic so he’s tweeting in Chinese. His messages are being translated into English here and on a Tumblr.
Ai Weiwei has also joined Google+ and given an interview to the Communist Party’s official English-language tabloid Global Times.
More:
“Ai Weiwei hits out at treatment of friends and activists,” Tania Branigan, The Guardian
“Details emerge of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s detention,” Damian Grammaticas, BBC News
“After Silence, Dissident Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Speaks to State Media,” Austin Ramzy, Time Magazine blog
“Ai Weiwei Emerges on Google Plus, Breaking Social-Media Silence — But Can It Last?” Kyle Chayka, Artinfo.com
“Ai Weiwei speaks out against government on Twitter,” Elizabeth Flock, Washington Post blog
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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: Ai Weiwei, art, artists, censorship, China, dissent, Google, Google Plus, human rights, protest, Twitter
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