Even if you read this after Thursday, you can still send a message of
support/sign the statement. Also, please give this issue exposure in your
media.
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> ** Please Circulate **
>
> Dear friends of independent media in Hongkong,
>
> An article on published on inmediahk.net <http://inmediahk.net> , a
> participatory, progressive
> internet newspaper has been classified as Class II indecent article by the
> Obscene Articles Tribunal (OAT). The maximum penalty is HK$400,000 and 12
> months in jail. Ironically, the article criticizes the OAT's current
> indecency classification system.
>
> Hong Kong In-Media, inmediahk.net <http://inmediahk.net> and the Hong Kong
> Federation of University
> Students have put out a call for reform of the existing classification
> system. They have launched the campaign "Don't turn Hong Kong into a
> mono-colour ghost city" and invite all concerned about social movement media
> to support the joint statement.
>
>
> URL: http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=226978 (translation
> below)
> Please support this campaign. To co-sign the statement, please send an email
> to BY Thursday, July 5 to: interlocals.net <http://interlocals.net> AT
> gmail.com <http://gmail.com>
>
> The article:
> http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=217645&group_id=178
> <http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=217645&group_id=178> > ,
> [some information on the content of the article]
>
> More information: http://www.interlocals.net/?q=node/844
> <http://www.interlocals.net/?q=node/844>
>
> =========================
> Translation of the statement:
>
> We express our disappointment with the Obscene Articles Tribunal's
> classification of the article "The beginning of censorship politics, urge for
> civil disobedient act in hyperlinking erotic sites" posted at inmediahk.net
> <http://inmediahk.net> as Class II (indecent). This classification has once
> again proven that the OAT is very mechanical in evaluating speech,
> expression and creative works regarding "sex" and "body". Its procedures do
> not take into account an article's content, or the diversity of definitions
> of beauty / ugliness, good /evil. Moreover, in recent years, the attitude of
> governmental departments and the OAT's towards dissenting voices especially
> from sexual minorities, Chinese university student press and inmediahk.net
> <http://inmediahk.net>
> have given cause for concern. It appears that these governmental departments
> have been hijacked by social groups who want to oppress sexual minorities
> and other dissent.
> The bureaucratic orientation in obscene articles evaluation
>
> We believe that the featured article "The beginning of censorship politics,
> urge for civil disobedient act in hyperlinking erotic sites" is not indecent.
> The article urged civil disobedience to protest OAT's classification of any
> article containing a hyperlink to pornography as Class III (obscene
> article). A hyperlink is a series of code linking up the contents of two
> internet websites. It is not by itself "content" and shouldn't be the basis
> for classifying and article 'indecent' or 'obscene'. The author is justified
> in questioning and protesting against the classification system.
>
> The photo that accompanies the article is also a hyperlink to content on
> another site. It is a nude picture. Aside the argument on whether the html
> codes can constitute indecency or not, when you focus on the photo's
> lighting, setting, postures, you realize that the photo belongs to an art
> genre: body art photo. It is an insult to our education to evaluate the
> photo as indecent just because it shows body parts. The case reflects how
> rigid and bureaucratic the present classification system is.
>
> In the past few years, the OAT's classification system has already been made
> a laughing stock internationally, for example when the Statue of David was
> classified as indecent in 1995. Last year the local classic movie "Autumn's
> Tale" received a warning, this year the questionnaire of Chinese University
> Student Press's questionnaire on sex attitudes, etc. Such events have
> already enraged people in the creativity, culture, art and academic sector.
> If this kind of absurd, lack-of-common-sense classification continues, it
> will result in even bigger public resentment. The obscene articles
> evaluation system should be reformed immediatly.
>
> Apart from voluntary application for evaluation, the present system mainly
> follows up complaints. In recent years, some organizations with religious
> background (most of them hostile towards sexual minorities and diverse forms
> of sexual expression) have actively organized complaint campaigns. They want
> to make use of the existing classification system to enforce a mono-attitude
> towards sex in society.
>
> The Auditing Department pointed out in a report last year that 90% of the
> present committee members of the OAT are over 40 years old. The tribunal
> lacks representatives from different sectors, such as racial and sexual
> minorities, youth, lower class, people from cultural and art sectors, etc.
> As a result, the classification has been very rigid and prone to abuse by
> certain groups. If we don't reform the system, it will only be a
> governmental harassment to its citizens. It will eventually turns this
> multicultural international city into a mono-color ghost city. We demand
> that:
>
> 1. The government withdraw the classification of "The beginning of
> censorship politics, urge civil disobedient act in hyperlinking erotic sites"
> (Case No:
> OAGO000147/2007) and the classification of the Chinese University Student
> Press erotic page (as well as the report of the case in Sunday Mingpao).
>
> 2. Set up a committee that can reflects a diversity of cultural backgrounds,
> age, racial and sexual orientation to reform the classification system by
> abolishing the mechanical evaluation and bringing back in consideration of
> the articles' content, genre, nature, and etc. [as is common sense elsewhere
> in the world]
>
> This statement, together with the classification revision, will be handed to
> the Obscene Articles Tribunal on the coming Thursday (July 5). For those who
> would like to co-sign the statement, please send your name, title /
> affiliated organizations / websites, and comments / advice to the government
> to inmediahk AT gmail.com <http://gmail.com> .
>
> This statement campaign is initiated by
>
> Hong Kong In-Media
>
> inmediahk.net <http://inmediahk.net>
>
> Hong Kong Federation of University Students
>
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