China detains activist lawyer Xu Zhiyong
Chinese lawyer Xu Zhiyong has been detained after calling
for the release of activists and campaigning against government abuses. Police
also took computers and mobile phones from Xu's Beijing home, Human Rights in
China said. Xu was detained Tuesday evening on suspicion of gathering people to
disturb order in a public place. No details or causes were given to support the
vaguely defined charge, which is often used to punish people who speak out
against abuses. Xu has frequently been punished for his outspokenness by
lengthy periods of house arrest, the most recent beginning on April 12 after he
signed a letter in support of other detained activists.
China's Communist Party rulers brook no challenge to their
rule and frequently punish critics with lengthy prison sentences, such as the
11-year term given to Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo for co-authoring a
call for sweeping political reforms.
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