China’s Brutal Crackdown on Dissidents

In the name of economic development, many Chinese citizens find themselves forced from their land and homes for construction of dams, roads or other projects. Added to the displacement are paltry offers of compensation and corruption, funneling the gains of China’s “economic miracle” away from its poorest people. The conflicts invite protest, but, as many of the country’s “difficult citizens” discover, the Communist Party refuses to tolerate dissent. From the highest level of government down, reports emerge daily on official forms of brutality: journalists imprisoned, farmers beaten by party thugs, and protesters shot. A range of abuses and lingering bitterness accompany China’s fast-growing economic development. – YaleGlobal