Paris Conference Video Series: Gao Yu

Gao Yu, winner of the Golden PEN of Freedom Award and of UNESCO’s Annual World Press Freedom Prize, knows all about her government’s abusive practices to silence courageous journalists such as her.

She was sent to prison in 1993 after she wrote a piece critical of the government for a Hong Kong magazine. Being on the receiving end of the wrath of the Chinese authorities obviously has made her a censorship expert.

At the Paris conference, she shared those experiences by speaking through a translator about the following subjects:

1. According to the Chinese authorities, the past must not be questioned or discussed.
2. Criticism from aboard is considered attempts to sabotage the Games.
3. The Chinese government has built up a gargantuan censorship system without equal anywhere in the world.