Scholars: Refuse to bow down to China censorship pressure

Cambridge University Press logo (Wikimedia Commons, Fair Use)

BEIJING — Scholars have started an online petition to urge Cambridge University Press to restore more than 300 politically sensitive articles removed from its website in China after a request from authorities.

The petition circulating among academics calls on CUP to turn down censorship requests from the Chinese government.

The petition says that it is “disturbing … that China is attempting to export its censorship on topics that do not fit its preferred narrative.”

By Monday, more than 140 people had signed the 2-day-old petition on change.org.

Cambridge University Press said Friday it had complied with a request to block certain articles from “The China Quarterly” within China. They touch on politically sensitive subjects including the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution and the status of Tibet.