John Oliver 'banned' in China following criticism of president Xi Jinping on Last Week Tonight
The British presenter has been censored from the country's biggest social media site
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.John Oliver has been censored in China days after criticising the country's president Xi Jinping.
China's biggest social media site has banned any mention of the TV personality following an episode of US show Last Week Tonight in which he highlighted political and human rights issues the country is facing.
The BBC verified the censorship by trying - and failing - to post a status with John Oliver's name to Chinese social media site Weibo. Attempts are being met with an error message stating the post is a violation of “relevant laws and regulations.”
The episode saw Oliver detail the country's heavily criticised removal of presidential term limits, something which has permitted Xi to stay in power for the remainder of his life.
The British presenter didn't stop there. He highlighted the case of human rights activist Liu Xiaobo who was deemed a criminal and died while serving an 11-year prison sentence for subversion in 2017. Like Oliver, mention of Liu has been censored on Weibo.
“Xi's crackdown on human rights is apparently the harshest crackdown since Tiananmen square,” Oliver said, adding: “[He] has clamped down noticeably on any form of dissident whatsoever.”
He also later questioned the treatment of Muslim minority Uighurs who face new restrictions implemented by the Chinese government.
It's common for internet activity to be censored in China with millions reportedly employed to swiftly remove posts considered politically incorrect.
Last Week Tonight airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK.
Follow Independent Culture on Facebook
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments