Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the government has slammed voices criticizing national heroes or questioning the official story about them.
In 2018, China passed a law banning people from “insulting or slandering heroes and martyrs.” Originally a civil matter, the law will become a criminal offense in an amendment to the country’s criminal law, which takes effect next month. Under the amendment, people who “insult, slander or use other means to tarnish the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs and harm the public interest of society” could be sentenced to three years in prison.
The arrests underscore Beijing’s sensitivity about the border clash with India – the deadliest between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in more than 40 years.
For eight months, the Chinese military has not released details on the death toll from the bloody hand-to-hand conflict with Indian troops in the Galan Valley region in the Himalayas. New Delhi had earlier said at least 20 Indian soldiers had been killed during the fighting.
In a subsequent propaganda campaign, the Chinese state media paid tribute to the five PLA soldiers for their loyalty, bravery and sacrifice, and they published long, emotional reports on their life stories.
State media also published Beijing’s report on the incident, accusing Indian troops of violating an agreement with China and crossing the border into the Chinese side to set up tents. According to the PLA Daily, the Chinese side was initially less than Indian troops attacking with steel tubes, batons and rocks. But when PLA reinforcements arrived, they finally ‘defeated’ the Indian soldiers and drove them out.
The Indian Army did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Delhi has previously blamed Beijing for the skirmish.
However, not every Chinese citizen is convinced of Beijing’s report on the incident.
On Friday morning, a popular blogger with 2.5 million followers on China’s Twitter-like Weibo asked questions about the official death toll, suggesting the actual figure could be higher than four. “This is why India dares to disclose the number and names of their victims, because from India’s point of view, they have won at a lower cost,” he writes.
By nightfall, police in the eastern city of Nanjing detained the blogger, identified by his Qiu surname, for “committing disputes and causing trouble” – a crime commonly used by the Chinese government to provoke contradiction and criticism.
Weibo said Friday night he closed Qiu’s account, which he used to post the comments, as well as an additional account he owns.
According to police, a total of four Weibo users were detained for their posts or comments on others’ posts. Two others were detained for their comments in group chats on WeChat, China’s popular messaging program, after other group members reported it to police. The other person was caught by the internet police in an ‘online patrol’ after posting on his personal WeChat feed.