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(CNN) — China has detained at least six people for allegedly defaming four servicemen killed in a bloody border
clash with India last June, as state media wages a propaganda campaign hailing the dead troops as martyrs.
Police said six people were detained for up to 15 days across China, with another accused currently living overseas
facing detention upon their return.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the government has cracked down on voices that criticize national heroes or
question the o cial narrative about them.
In 2018, China passed a law that bans people from "insulting or slandering heroes and martyrs." Originally a civil
matter, the law will be made a criminal o ense in an amendment to the country's criminal law, which comes into
e ect next month. Under that amendment, people who "insult, slander or use other means to infringe the reputation
and honor of heroes and martyrs and damage the public interest of society" can be jailed for up to three years.
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A view of a memorial to Xiao Siyuan, one of the four PLA soldiers killed in a border clash with
India, in Yanjin county in central China's Henan province on February 21.
The detentions underline Beijing's sensitivity about the border clash with India -- the deadliest between the two
nuclear-armed neighbors in more than 40 years.
For eight months, the Chinese military did not disclose any details on the death toll of the bloody hand-to-hand
conflict with Indian troops in the Galwan Valley area in the Himalayas. New Delhi previously said at least 20 Indian
soldiers died during the brawl.
On Friday, China's o cial army newspaper revealed that four People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers were killed in
the clash, and were given posthumous awards. A regimental commander who was seriously injured also received an
award, according to the report.
By the evening, police in the eastern city of Nanjing had detained the blogger, identified by his surname Qiu, for
"picking quarrels and provoking trouble" -- an o ense commonly used by the Chinese government to target dissent
and criticism.
Writing on its o cial Weibo account Saturday, the Nanjing police claimed that Qiu had "distorted the truth" and
"caused extremely abominable impact on society," adding that he had confessed to his "unlawful act."
Weibo said on Friday evening it had shut down Qiu's account, which he used to post the remarks, as well as an
additional account he owns.
According to police, four Weibo users in total were detained for their posts or comments on other people's posts.
Two others were detained for their comments in group chats on WeChat, China's popular messaging app, after other
group members reported them to the police. The other person was caught by the internet police in an "online patrol"
after he posted on his personal WeChat feed.
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