Chinese man on trial for spreading false rumours online

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/11/china-trial-false-rumours-online-weibo

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A user of the Chinese Twitter-like website Weibo has confessed in court to spreading rumours about the Chinese government.

Qin Zhihui invented a story that the government gave 200m yuan (£19m) in compensation to the family of a foreign passenger killed in a high-speed train crash in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The story was shared widely online, and Qin also told false stories about a TV star and other celebrities. Xinhua said the trial was continuing and gave no indication of any defence raised in court.

It is the first public trial under a Chinese crackdown on online rumours. China has threatened criminal penalties against anyone who spreads rumours on microblogs that are reposted more than 500 times, or seen by more than 5,000 users.

Rights advocates say the campaign , which began last summer, is tantamount to crushing free expression. The government says it is necessary to preserve social stability.

Online rumours are particularly pervasive in China, where traditional media is heavily regulated by the government and public trust in the media is low.