China’s forbidden to insult the heroes of the revolution
People’s political consultative Council of China has added in the development of the civil code article on the inadmissibility of insulting the memory of the heroes of the revolution and the distortion of the history of the party’s exploits.
“Insulting name, image, reputation or honor of the heroes and martyrs is to the detriment of the public interest and should be punished under the civil code,” reads the new norm, which should enter into force by 2020.
The law is intended to help the Chinese authorities to deal with “historical falsifications”. Last year the Communist party of China several times made statements about the “information attacks” through the Internet to undermine the credibility of the government.
“Today, some people use distorted facts and libel with malicious intent to discredit the honor and reputation of the heroes and martyrs, […] this is very bad for society,” commented the new rule, a representative of the Communist party Committee on legislation.
Sacrificial exploits of Communist revolutionaries, often mythologized, is one of the foundations of the legitimacy of the Chinese government.
Articles about past failures of the Communist party of the 1958-1962 famine years or the horrors of the “cultural revolution” of the 1960s-1970s — the current government believe the attack on the legacy of Mao Zedong and sharply condemn. Historians that do not adhere to the official line in China called the “historical nihilists.”
“Historical nihilism” in China could be interpreted more broadly — as any criticism of Marxism and socialism, or the history of the Chinese Communist party.
Last year, Chinese President XI Jinping spoke of the need of the party’s vision of history, bringing the disintegrated Soviet Union as an example of what happens to a country who has forgotten the revolutionary heroes.
The new rule was included in the document entitled “Basic provisions of civil law”, which laid out the key principles of the future civil code of China. The preparation of this regulatory act began in March of 2015.
Himself the civil code, adoption is expected by 2020, this will reinforce the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Chinese people.