• “I worry if the new legislation would make people reluctant to speak out online for fear of being accused of cyber violence. Such legislation requires strict ethics and highly trained law enforcement personnel.”
• “Legislation will play a decisive role in cracking down on all sorts of the chaos that goes on online. If you behave properly, what are you afraid of?”
• “Existing laws are not detailed enough and it’s very hard for victims to protect their rights and interests, so separate legislation is needed after taking full consideration of experts’ opinions.”
Source: WeChat account of The Paper
Li Dongsheng, a National People’s Congress delegate (China’s highest legislative body): “It’s now very difficult for law enforcement to define and collect evidence for cyber violence cases... We need to improve the legal definition of cyber violence and increase penalties...”
Zhao Hong, law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law: “Current laws already have articles dealing with cyber violence and we have to be doubly cautious about over-legislation...”
Shi Jiayou, law professor at the Renmin University of China: “Relevant laws should have specific articles for cyber violence, but there is no need to create a new charge or punishments for it... Platforms and supervisory departments should focus more on prevention and setting up a rapid response system for reporting to better protect victims.”
Source: WeChat account of The Paper
Tragedy struck a family twice after a grieving mother died after falling from a residential building in an apparent suicide.
The incident on June 2 occurred just one week after her six-year-old son was struck and killed by a car at his school in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The car was driven by the boy’s teacher, who witnesses told press drove over the child a second time.
Although a police investigation is underway, netizens speculate that cyber violence against the mother, surnamed Yang, had pushed her to suicide.
Yang became a target of abuse after video taken at the scene of her son’s death went viral. Netizens said she appeared too calm about the situation, criticized her attire as inappropriate, and accused her of caring more about getting compensation from the school than her son’s death.
In the wake of Yang’s death, netizens warned against China’s increasingly rampant cyber violence and the damage it inflicts. On June 9, China’s Supreme People’s Court and other authorities released a draft guidance on fighting cyber violence. Those who conducted online abuse and slander against others that results in mental illness or suicide will be charged with “having severely damaged social order” and face criminal trial. The guidance also proposed prosecuting those who organize or promote cyber violence.
Many netizens applauded the move, including some law experts who have called for specific legislation against cyber violence in the past. However, other experts argued that cyber violence is already addressed in China’s criminal and civil laws, and separate legislation may be an overreaction.
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