A prominent Chinese billionaire has been sentenced to 18 years in prison, the latest in a string of punishments against outspoken corporate bosses.
Sun Dawu runs one of the country’s largest private agricultural businesses in the northern province of Hebei.
Sun, 67, has in the past spoken out about human rights and politically sensitive topics.
He was found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – a charge often used against activists.
“Picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Is this Chinese law or the Twitter Terms of Service?
Make no mistake: This kind of thing is and always has been the end game for the “hate speech” crowd. Once you begin criminalizing words it’s just the tiniest of steps to criminalizing thoughts and then you’re on a precipitous slippery slope that someone just slathered in motor oil.