Word: crackdowns
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Although few in number, China's pro-democracy activists invariably bear the brunt of any crackdown. That was shown again last month when Wei Jingsheng, the country's most renowned dissident, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for "engaging in activities to overthrow the government." Wei had already spent 16 years in jail since his first campaign for greater freedoms in 1978, during the last big political transition. His sentencing brought protests from the West, but China ignored them. Two weeks ago, three Tiananmen activists were detained in coastal Zhejiang province for collecting signatures demanding Wei's release...
Despite Deng's imprimatur, Jiang's position is weak; by conducting these campaigns and the crackdown on dissidents, Jiang is proving to hard-liners in the Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army that he can control Chinese society. "Hard-liners are on the rise," notes Andrew Nathan, a political scientist at Columbia University. "They have more voice in the regime." Jiang needs their support if he is to succeed Deng, and the hard-liners have thought him too soft in the past...
...been the aim of the Clinton Administration to demonize smoking; last week the Federal Trade Commission hinted at a crackdown on the often fanciful tar and nicotine levels printed on cigarette packs. Through it all, though, one franchise stays strong: Marlboro. The brand accounts for 30% of the world cigarette market. It also anchors a lucrative mail business peddling burly outdoor gear--pocket knives, flashlights, Weber grills and every form of jacket--with the familiar logo. "If we were a mail-order company like L.L. Bean," says Ellen Merlo, a Philip Morris executive, "we'd be the third largest...
...crackdown, however, sent a chill through the Internet community, which spent much of 1995 fighting what appears to be a losing battle against a U.S. bill that would criminalize "indecent" computer messages. The new restriction confirmed the net's worst fears about what may lie ahead: Germany's little list included sexuality support groups for the handicapped and a bulletin board for homosexuals that has served as a lifeline for thousands of gay youth...
...surprising. General Sani Abacha, Nigeria's dictator, and other military leaders have profited enormously from oil revenues reaped by Shell's exploitation of Saro-Wiwa's homeland and other parts of the country. To ensure continued profits from the oil industry, the military government of Nigeria instituted a crackdown resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 of Saro-Wiwa's tribes people. In 1993, during the transition from military to civil government, Abacha imprisoned Chief Moshood Abiola, the democratically chosen president, declaring the election invalid...