Chinese authorities arrested a law professor who published essays strongly criticizing President Xi Jinping for the coronavirus pandemic and accusing him of ruling “tyrannical,” according to his friends and colleagues.
Xu Zhangrun, a rare outspoken critic of the government at China’s heavily censored academy, was removed from his home in the Beijing suburbs on Monday morning by more than 20 policemen, one of his friends said on condition of anonymity.
According to a text message circulating among Xu’s friends, the police also searched his home and confiscated his computer.
Xu published an essay, titled Viral Alarm: When Fury Overcomes Fear, in February, blaming the culture for the deception and censorship promoted by Xi for the spread of the coronavirus in China, where the outbreak was first reported in December last year. before spreading globally.
“Ultimately, the cause of all these lies is the axis, a reference to Xi, and the clique that surrounds him.” Xu wrote in the essay that appeared on foreign websites, adding that the chaos at the epicenter of the Hubei province virus reflected systemic problems in the Chinese state.
“It started with the imposition of severe bans on accurate reporting of the virus, which served to embolden the deception at all levels of government,” he said.
Most recently, in May, before China’s delayed annual parliamentary meeting, he wrote an article accusing Xi of trying to bring the Cultural Revolution to China.
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Beijing says new cases of coronavirus are now under control |
Sarah Clarke of Al Jazeera, reporting from Hong Kong, said her arrest on Monday was confirmed by several sources who feel her articles are critical. may have triggered your arrest.
“According to his friends, hThis wife said she received a phone call from the police saying that he had been arrested for soliciting prostitution, “said Clarke.
“His friends say he was arrested in Beijing a few days ago, between June 30 and July 4, so they went to his home to receive his release, but as a result, they discovered that he had already been arrested.”
Police and public security authorities in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
‘Playing with power’
Freedom of expression in China has always been strictly controlled by the Communist Party, but critics say control has been stifled under Xi.
In his February article, Xu wrote: “China is run by one man, but this man is in the dark and rules tyrannically, without any method of governance, although he is adept at playing with power, causing the entire country to suffer. . “
He also predicted that a continued economic slowdown in China would cause “declining national confidence,” along with “political and academic outrage and social atrophy.”
The Tsinghua University law professor, one of the country’s leading institutions, had previously spoken out against abolishing the limits of the presidential term in 2018 in an essay distributed online.
The university reportedly banned him from teaching and conducting research last year after publishing an article criticizing the government.
This year, the space for independent discussion has been further reduced, as the Xi government has tried to deflect the blame for the coronavirus, which scientists believe arose from a wild animal market in Wuhan.
Chen Jieren, a former journalist with a communist spokesman, the People’s Daily, was sentenced in May for “picking up disputes and causing trouble” and for publishing “false” and “negative” information.
Ren Zhiqiang, an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party and millionaire property magnate, was also detained after writing a fiercely critical essay on Xi’s response to the outbreak.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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