From the HK Standard, a ferocious attack on the lying liars of the CCP and the lies they tell us in regard to the arrest and release of Ding Zilin, one of the three “Tiananmen Mothers.”

On the day Ding was released, Xinhua, the official state mouthpiece, issued a statement saying that she “and others have been detained based on evidence that they have participated in illegal activities sponsored by overseas forces. They were released by police after being admonished and showing repentance”.

The Xinhua report continues: “According to Ding’s confession, they conspired with overseas forces to evade Chinese customs and import illegal goods to China with fabricated labels and documents, and engaged in other activities in violation of China’s Customs Law, the State Security Law and detailed rules on the implementation of the State Security Law.”

The reality is that they were arrested two weeks before the anniversary of Hu Yaobang’s death – the anniversary that sparked the democracy protests. Hu, the former head of the Communist Party, is seen by many Chinese as one of the few leaders who genuinely believed in reform. The mass mourning that followed his death demonstrated a widespread feeling of loss.

This anniversary is a sensitive time in China although few people besides the Tiananmen Mothers are brave enough to launch a public manifestation of protest. The true reason for their arrest is therefore not difficult to work out.

Few people in China are inclined to believe the official version of events. Their cynicism is rooted in long-term experience of consistent official mendacity. So deep is this cynicism that officials find it hard to persuade the public that they are telling the truth even when they actually refrain from lying.

Lying is one part of the equation, character assassination is another. Authoritarian systems cannot tolerate differences of opinion. Those who depart from the party line are routinely denounced as traitors, criminals, degenerates and whatever else comes into the colourful minds of the heavily staffed propaganda machine.

As ever, these highly creative machines cannot help themselves and usually end up stretching the truth to levels of absurdity that make them a laughing stock. It was, however, hard to laugh during the Cultural Revolution when alleged counter-revolutionaries were being butchered in the streets and sent away to starve in the remote regions.

Yes, I want to be a kinder, gentler blogger, but this story simply has to be told.