Hao Wu, Four Months Later...

Richard of Peking Duck reminds us that it's been three months since the Free Hao Wu blog was established to call attention to imprisoned blogger and film maker Hao Wu - and four months since his detention. Richard remarks:

...not unsurprisingly it's (blog activity) been slowing down as interest wanes and resignation reigns. Watching the inactive site day after day got me thinking: Was it a good idea to draw all this attention to Hao Wu, or would silence have been a more strategic approach?

Watching the activity dwindle on the Free Hao Wu blog, both from commenters and more sadly, from Hao's sister, Nina, who literally put herself in the hospital working for her brother's freedom, has been a profoundly depressing experience. Disheartening as well were some of the troll comments on the blog - hateful, manipulative, nasty stuff, mocking even the impulse to care about Hao and his family.

Worst is the sense of helplessness, that there is nothing any of us can do, that our efforts don't matter. But pondering Richard's question, "was it a good idea to draw all this attention to Hao Wu?" I have to think that it was. At least the Chinese government knows that people are aware of Hao's situation, and that he is not forgotten.