TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Two amateur computer coders who were taken by police from their Beijing homes are standing trial in a case that illustrates the Chinese government’s growing online censorship and heightened sensitivity to any deviation from the official narrative on its COVID-19 response. Authorities have not said specifically why the two men were arrested last year. Friends and relatives believe it was because the men had set up an online archive to store articles deleted by censors as well as a related forum where users could chat anonymously. The archive kept hundreds of articles on a range of topics and the forum saw discussions on sensitive issues. But what got them in trouble appears to be articles about China’s pandemic response.
