China: Government cracks down on activists after calls for protests
Following calls for protest on the Internet, the leadership in Beijing is cracking down harder on dissidents. More than 100 activists have reportedly disappeared, been arrested, or placed under house arrest since the calls for a revolution modeled on the Arab Spring.
Several leading government critics have been charged with endangering the state. This was announced by the organization Chinese Human Rights Defenders CHRD on Friday. The ongoing crackdown may be one of the most severe actions by the government against Chinese activists in recent years, explained CHRD head Renee Xia.
According to the organization, the writers Ran Yunfei and Liang Haivi are accused of endangering the state, while the dissidents Ding Mao and Chen Wei are accused of inciting subversion. A fifth activist, Hua Chunhui, is accused of betraying state secrets.
Since last week, Chinese exile groups have repeatedly called for people to take to the streets against the rule of the Communist Party and for freedom of expression and the rule of law. However, a call for protests in 13 cities across the country on Sunday was little heeded after the police significantly increased their presence on the streets.
