Social media accounts of Covid-19 critics banned

Sina Weibo, the popular Chinese social media platform, said that it has issued temporary or permanent bans on over 1,000 accounts of experts, scholars and medical workers

Social media accounts of Covid-19 critics banned

Two children wait outside the Beijing railway station on Saturday, as people head back to their hometown for Lunar New Year. Pic/AFP

China has suspended or closed the social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government’s policies on the COVID-19 outbreak, as the country moves to further open up. The popular Sina Weibo social media platform said it had addressed 12,854 violations, including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts.

The ruling Communist Party had largely relied on the medical community to justify its harsh lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing, almost all of which it abruptly abandoned last month, leading to a surge in new cases that have stretched medical resources to their limits. The party allows no direct criticism and imposes strict limits on free speech.

Also Read: WHO chief asks China for rapid reliable data on Covid-19 deaths

The company “will continue to increase the investigation and cleanup of all kinds of illegal content, and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for the majority of users,” Sina Weibo said in a statement.

Criticism has largely focused on heavy-handed enforcement of regulations, including open-ended travel restrictions that saw people confined to their homes for weeks, sometimes sealed inside without adequate food or medical care. Anger was also vented over the requirement that anyone who potentially tested positive or had been in contact, be confined for observation in a field hospital, where overcrowding, poor food and hygiene were commonly cited.

As part of the latest changes, China will also no longer bring criminal charges against people accused of violating border quarantine regulations, according to a notice issued by five government departments on Saturday. Individuals currently in custody will be released and seized assets returned, the notice said.

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