From China to Iran, shoutouts for freedom

As a protest slogan, it’s hardly new. Yet in three of the world’s most oppressed societies – China, Iran, and Russia – you can now find protesters demanding “freedom,” not just personal liberty but a civic freedom that allows individual choice in shaping governance along shared values.

The most brazen example came Thursday on a Beijing bridge. Just days before the Chinese Communist Party was set to rubber-stamp another five-year term for autocrat Xi Jinping, a man unfurled two banners over a busy highway. The hand-written banners called for “dignity, not lies,” “elections, not a great leader,” “citizens, not slaves,” and of course “freedom.”

Mind you, this rare street protest in China came after police had arrested 1.4 million people across the country over months to ensure no embarrassing dissent for the party’s giant gathering.