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Article: Fired Editor Becomes Protest Hero
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- May 19, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Qin Benli seems an unlikely folk hero for the millions of
demonstrators who have poured onto the streets of Chinese cities over
the past few days.
A frail, 71-year-old intellectual, Qin was dismissed as editor of
the World Economic Herald by Shanghai's municipal authorities on
April 24 after refusing to delete controversial articles. His case
has become a touchstone of the Communist government's willingness to
meet protester demands for freedom of the press and greater
democracy.
The chant of "Reinstate Qin Benli" has resounded across China,
voiced by hundreds of thousands of people who had never before heard
his name. Telegrams and messages of support have poured into the
Herald's ...