• @AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    9
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    I’m assuming you’re talking about China in this.

    Yeah no. For anyone just randomly complaining about the government, in order of frequency of “enforcement” used, frequency decreases exponentially: 1. No one cares and their post stays up forever; 2. The individual post gets removed or prevented from being posted; 3. Their account on that platform gets banned. The platforms in China like WeChat, the Chinese version of TikTok, etc are still private platforms by private companies btw.

    Oh look! Some actual legislation on the subject! https://lemmy.ml/post/69688/comment/60571

    It’s only when you go beyond just criticizing the government and into advocating for violence, civil disorder, and coup when you actually get into law enforcement response and potential jail time. Which, by the way, is absolutely also true for Western countries, go ahead and point to a single Western “free speech” country that doesn’t outlaw those in their legislation, I’ll wait. By the way, despite popular Western belief, there are no “illegal speech” crimes that are punishable by death in China. They have these nifty things called “maximum punishments allowed by statute” just like the West, and death is only on the table for the most serious crimes like murder, rape, etc, just like the West.

    • death is only on the table for the most serious crimes like murder, rape, etc, just like the West.

      Massive economic crimes is also in, unlike the west.

    • @pingveno@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      -5
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      You can call for the overthrow of the US government. People do it all the time without consequence. More specific threats against particular targets might get a visit from the Secret Service.

      It’s easy to find counterexamples of China having a go at journalists. For example, a journalist was sentenced to four years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, the CPC’s blanket crime for those who displease it. She had been doing unflattering reporting on the CPC’s handling of COVID-19.

      death is only on the table for the most serious crimes like murder, rape, etc, just like the West.

      Most of the West has abolished the death penalty. The US is an outlier here, and even in the US it is only for murder and many states have abolished it completely.

        • @pingveno@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          -52 years ago

          In the US the death sentence is given out for such innocuous crimes as being Black while walking and living in Indigenous communities so I dunno what you mean.

          Bullshit. Complete bullshit.

          China did it 6

          The number of people China subjects to the death penalty is considered a state secret. It includes not just murder but also drug trafficking. Estimates usually range in the thousands, with China estimated to execute more than every other state combined.

          The US has executed 365 juvenile offenders, and only raised the minimum age of execution to 18 in 2005

          So we’re doing better than China, which still executes juveniles? Cool.

          And again, the extrajudicial executions carried out by US police is exceptionally astounding.

          This is a valid complaint, but it’s a debate we are fully free to have. BLM has been a strong movement with support from a wide variety of racial groups.

          So nope, you can’t call for the overthrow of the US government.

          That law, the Smith Act, hasn’t been used in decades. Many of the convictions under it were overturned, with one prosecutor expressing regret for even bringing an indictment.