Bai Dongping posted picture of 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations online
A Beijing activist was detained on a charge of inciting subversion after posting a photo online of China's 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations, which the military eventually crushed, killing hundreds of people.
It is the first time Bai Dongping, 47, has been arrested, although he was taken out of Beijing "on holiday" by police or told to stay inside his home during high-profile events such as the Olympics, his wife, Yang Dan, said today. Bai was taken away on Saturday, Yang said, and Beijing police called her the following day to tell her why.
"I'm really scared. That's such a strong charge. It's the first time I had ever heard of such a thing," Yang said.
The arrest comes shortly after a Chinese woman was sentenced to a year in a labour camp for posting a satirical Twitter message about smashing the Japan pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.
It also comes as several Chinese activists reported increasing harassment after the imprisoned author Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize in October. Liu is serving an 11-year sentence for subversion after co-authoring an appeal calling for reforms to China's one-party political system.
Bai first became an activist during the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations after joining an illegal workers' union that supported the students leading the protests, according to the US-based ChinaAid association.
Tanks and troops rolled into Tiananmen Square in Beijing to crush the pro-democracy movement, killing hundreds of people in 1989.
More recently, Bai has provided legal assistance to petitioners who come from China's provinces and try to air grievances over corruption and other issues to officials in the central government. He is a member of the recently formed Petitioners and Rights Defenders' Group, which has often reported harassment from police.
His wife said she doesn't know why Bai posted the Tiananmen photo on a popular chat and messaging website. "I don't get involved in his affairs," she said.
Beijing police did not immediately answer questions about his detention.
No comments:
Post a Comment