Veterans urge end to China censorship

飞雪寒冰

A group of veteran reformers in China’s Communist party has demanded Beijing dismantle its elaborate censorship apparatus in an appeal for accelerated political reform,
中国***内的一批改革派元老呼吁加快政治改革，并要求北京方面废除庞大的新闻审查机构。

In an open letter to the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, 23 former senior party cadres and editors, called on the legislative body to pass laws entrenching freedom of speech and publishing. Both are guaranteed in the constitution and often denied in practice.
在一封致全国人民代表大会常务委员会的公开信中，23名前党内高级干部和主编呼吁该立法机构以立法形式保障言论和出版自由。这两项自由在中国的《宪法》中都得到明文保障，但在实践中往往无法行使。

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The document was published on the blogging platform of sina.com, China’s largest news portal, on Tuesday morning. Beijing moved to silence the call and the letter was removed a few hours later.
这封公开信于周二早上发表于中国最大新闻门户新浪网(sina.com)的博客平台。北京方面采取行动压制这一呼吁，几小时后此信被撤下。

“The ‘socialist democracy’ with Chinese characteristics propagated by [our] country has become just too embarrassing,” said the letter. It called for publishers and editors to control book and newspaper content and for an end to prepublication screening by government censors. The letter demanded an end to internet censorship.
这封公开信表示：“国家宣称的有中国特色的‘社会主义民主’实在太尴尬。”信中呼吁让出版单位和总编辑负责书籍和报纸内容，废除由政府审查机构进行预审的制度。此信还要求终止互联网审查。

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It follows Friday’s award of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident serving an 11-year jail sentence on charges of subversion. In its citation, the Nobel committee focused on the freedoms guaranteed in China’s constitution.
上周五，今年的诺贝尔和平奖被授予因“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”而正被执行11年徒刑的中国异见人士刘晓波。诺贝尔委员会在颁奖词中专门点出中国《宪法》保障的各项自由。

Coming days before a key policy meeting of the central committee of the ruling Communist party, the letter tracks statements in recent months by Wen Jiabao, the premier, calling for greater political reform in China. In a recent interview with CN*, Mr Wen said demands for “democracy and freedom are irresistible”.
公开信发表之际，执政的共产党的中央委员会正要在几天后举行一次关键的政策会议。公开信援引了中国总理温Jiabao近几个月有关扩大政治改革的言论。温Jiabao最近在接受美国有线电视新闻网CN*采访时表示，人民对“民主和自由的诉求是不可抗拒的”。

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Although Chinese leaders often pay lip service to support for democracy, especially when talking to foreign audiences, some observers have speculated that Mr Wen could make a big push for political reform in his last two years in office.
虽然中国领导人经常在口头上表示支持民主，尤其是在对外国听众发表讲话时，但一些观察人士猜测，温Jiabao可能想在最后两年任期内大力推动政治改革。

However, other analysts believe that the Nobel Prize – and the embarrassment it has created for Beijing – could strengthen conservative voices opposed to faster reform.
不过，其他分析人士相信，诺贝尔奖及其给北京方面制造的难堪，可能加强那些反对加快改革的保守派的声音。

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The letter’s authors include Li Rui, a former personal secretary of Mao Zedong and former deputy head of the Communist party’s organisation department; Huang Jiwei, a former editor of the People’s Daily, the party mouthpiece; and Zhong Peizhang, a former senior official at the party’s propaganda department.
公开信的作者包括：毛**前秘书、**中央组织部前常务副部长李锐；**机关报《人民日报》前总编辑胡绩伟；以及中宣部新闻局原局长锺沛璋。

Some of the letter’s writers are associated with Hu Yaobang, the reformist party chief ousted in 1987, and are not considered dissidents.
公开信的一些作者曾与1987年被赶下台的改革派总书记胡耀邦共事，他们不被视为异见人士。

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“There are a lot of things happening around freedom of speech, around publishing freedom right now,” said Zhan Jiang, head of the journalism school at China Youth University for Political Science.
“目前围绕言论自由和出版自由有很多活动，”中国青年政治学院新闻与传播系主任展江表示。

“Of course these old men are all old Communist party members, they want to save and reform the party. I believe these voices deserve to be heard.”
“这些老人当然都是老党员，他们想要拯救和改革党。我相信这些呼声值得听取。”