China detains prominent human rights lawyer

Chinese authorities on January 19 detained Yu Wensheng, a prominent human rights lawyer, here just a few days after his law license was revoked over an open letter criticizing President Xi Jinping.

Yu's wife said that her husband was detained around 6.30 am while he was taking their children to school.

The kids returned home a short while later and told their mother that the police had taken away their father. They saw at least four cars and a score of police personnel.

Yu began to face problems with the authorities after he published an open letter claiming that Xi was not fit to continue as President for extending totalitarian control over the country.

In the letter, published days before the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October 2017, Yu called for reforms in the party to make way for a China that had freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

On January 15, the Bureau of Justice sent him a notice saying his license was being revoked on grounds of Yu currently not being employed at any law firm.

The lawyer then claimed that "it was a trick by the government", maintaining that the authorities had been pressuring different law firms against hiring him.

After Yu's arrest, Amnesty International expressed concern that he could be accused of serious crimes such as "inciting subversion against state power", a charge under which activist and blogger Wu Gan was sentenced to eight years in prison in December.

"His detention shows that the Chinese government is less and less tolerant towards criticism of state leaders," Amnesty researcher Patrick Poon said.