Categories: World News

China Detains Professor Who Criticised President Xi

Armed police officers escort a van (behind) transporting Tong Ying-kit (not pictured) who is accused of deliberately driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers on July 1, as he arrives at West Kowloon court in Hong Kong on July 6, 2020. ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP

 

Chinese authorities on Monday detained a law professor who published essays criticising President Xi Jinping over the coronavirus pandemic and his efforts to consolidate power, according to friends of the man. 

Xu Zhangrun, a rare outspoken critic of the government in China’s heavily censored academia, was taken from his home in suburban Beijing by more than 20 people, one of his friends said on condition of anonymity.

Xu published an essay in February blaming the culture of deception and censorship fostered by Xi for the spread of the coronavirus in China.

The law professor at Tsinghua University, one of China’s top institutions, had previously spoken out against the 2018 abolition of presidential term limits in an essay circulated online.

A friend said a man claiming to be police had called Xu’s wife, who had been living separately at a university residence, to say Xu was arrested for allegedly soliciting prostitution in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

Xu visited Chengdu last winter with a number of liberal Chinese scholars, although it is unclear if the arrest was connected to the trip, the friend said, calling the allegation against Xu “ridiculous and shameless”.

 

AFP

Solomon Elusoji

Disqus Comments Loading...
Share
Published by
Solomon Elusoji

Recent Posts

Russian Court Orders Journalist In Navalny’s Case Detained

She had originally been detained hours after visiting Navalny's grave in southern Moscow during the…

22 mins ago

Blackouts Hit Three Ukrainian Regions After Russian Air Attack

President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the attacks "energy terrorism" and the United Nations has described…

35 mins ago

Turkey’s Erdogan To Hold White House Talks With Biden In May

Turkey has profited from maintaining trade with Moscow while at the same time supplying Ukraine…

51 mins ago

Liverpool Target Xabi Alonso Says Staying As Leverkusen Coach

The 42-year-old Spaniard has Leverkusen on course for a trophy treble, including their first-ever German…

52 mins ago

Madagascar’s Parliament Chief Stripped Of Post

The court decision removing Christine Razanamahasoa, 72, from the National Assembly was published Thursday evening,…

1 hour ago

Nigeria’s Economy Records Over $1.5bn Inflow, Says CBN

It said the naira also continued to record gains in the Autonomous Foreign Exchange market,…

1 hour ago