Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) – A former editor of the Public Interest Times, a newspaper based in China's capital, has published an open letter to explain the true reasons behind his dismissal, accusing the paper's editors of practicing rigid self-censorship.

Chen Jieren was sacked on Wednesday last after the newspaper published an article of his criticizing the "incorrect English translations of the new official government internet site. Liu Youping, editor-in-chief, said several times over that Chen had been fired because of "poor performance".

In a 10,000-word article headlined "Ridiculous Game, Despicable Intrigue", Chen described the truth behind his dismissal, saying his open letter had been prompted by the "slanderous words" of his former boss.

Thanks to the editor's personal initiatives, the newspaper published several articles denouncing corruption among local leaders, including one sensational case of local officials pocketing aid intended for Shaanxi flood victims.

Chen said the Civil Affairs Minister, Li Xueju, "continuously interfered in the newspaper's reporting" because of this story. Li criticized the newspaper several times for "causing trouble time after time".

"Chinese editors bow to self-censorship and assume a fawning attitude towards the government: in this way we will never manage to tell the truth," said the former newsman.