Procuratorial organ rejects lawsuit against Chinese Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan: plaintiff

A lawsuit against Chinese Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan for smearing heroes and martyrs was rejected by procuratorial organ, who said it does not fall within the jurisdiction of their scope of acceptance, according to the nationalist blogger who sued Mo. The blogger vowed to pursue the lawsuit afterwards.

The blogger, who used the name of "Truth-Telling Mao Xinghuo" on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo revealed on Monday that he received a response from the relevant department via a phone call, stating that the public interest lawsuit he filed against Mo does not fall within the jurisdiction of their scope of acceptance.

The user expressed respect for the decision of the relevant department regarding the procuratorial organ's determination but will continue suing Mo.

The user claimed to have filed a lawsuit in a Beijing court against Mo for insulting the People's Liberation Army, and the "Chinese people." The user said he was seeking 1.5 billion yuan ($208.4 million) from the suit, according to his Weibo account.

Media veteran Hu Xijin wrote on Weibo on Tuesday that the lawsuit against Mo not being accepted is a very normal result, and it was also the expectation of most people. Some people do not like Mo, and it is very normal to criticize him, mock him, and even say how bad his works are. But to label him with sensitive political accusations such as "insulting revolutionary martyrs" and "glorifying the invading Japanese army" crosses the bottom line. To sue Mo Yan with these as charges is a poorly performed act with highly questionable motives, said Hu.

Our society is diverse, and the principles that should be upheld cannot be dismissed. Using one's freedom of speech to attack the space that writers and literary creators should rightfully have is a double blow to diversity and ethical principles, Hu noted.
If the lawsuit against Mo succeeds, it will be a landmark event with far ranging consequences. Therefore, rejecting the accusation against Mo is a declaration of our society's refusal to escalate conflicts and oppose framing and targeting individuals, Hu commented.