Restricting speech is a common practice in China. Now the government also plans to make it a criminal offense to wear clothing that hurts the ‘feelings of the people’. According to a draft law, a person could be fined or even jailed if they wear something that “harms the spirit of the Chinese people.”
Under a general law against causing nuisance, someone in China can already be punished for wearing clothing or banners with controversial messages. The new law would also allow authorities to impose fines or even prison sentences on people whose clothing violates morality.
Lawyers concerned about draft law
The bill remains unclear for which items of clothing this is the case. The relevant definition would therefore be left to the authorities. Several lawyers in the country have already expressed concerns about the bill.
What could be considered offensive was shown in videos circulating on Chinese online networks earlier this month. It showed a man being questioned by police in the Shenzhen metropolis for filming himself wearing a skirt. Some Internet users defended the police action, arguing that the man’s behavior embarrassed others. On the Chinese platform Weibo, someone wrote: “This is harmful to general morals.”
Expert speaks of ‘too vague sentencing standards’
Lawyer Lao Dongyan of Tsinghua University warns that the bill “contains too vague a criminal law that opens the door to the arbitrary expansion of criminal prosecution.” Most Beijing citizens interviewed by AFP news agency expressed similar sentiments, but also said the law was primarily intended to prevent the wearing of Japanese clothing at historical dates or places.
Source: Krone
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