Exiled Chinese Dissident: ‘Jasmine’ Success

By NEAL MOORE

TAINAN CITY, TAIWAN – REPUBLIC OF CHINA (CNN iReport)

I met up with Chinese cyberdissident in exile, Cai Lujun, for a one on one interview to discuss the role of the internet in the ongoing Mideast and North Africa revolts – and what this may eventually mean for China.

On Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, protesters in thirteen major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, took part in a series of internet-inspired street demonstrations. Although their numbers were small, the Chinese bloggersphere is awash with the term “success – for the future” as a result of the demonstrations, a sentiment echoed by Mr. Cai.

Mr. Cai Lujun, age 42, is a member of the Chinese Dissident Community in exile. He was one of the first people in China to be sent to prison for posting articles critical of the Communist Party of China on the internet. He served a three year prison sentence from 2003-2006 in Hebei Province, just outside Beijing. Following his release, Mr. Cai fled China as a result of continual persecution. Today in Taiwan, the Republic of China, Mr. Cai is essentially a non-entity – a stateless person: a man with no passport, no work permit, no country and no rights.