An outspoken former Chinese rights lawyer ( who was “disbarred” last year) has been arrested on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”, as the government continues to crack down on activists and political dissidents. Reports the South China Morning Post
Qin Yongpei, 50, who often criticised Beijing on social media including Twitter, was arrested on Tuesday in southern China, according to an arrest notice seen by AFP.
“He dares to say anything online,” his wife, Deng Xiaoyun, said.
She said he had been accused of inciting state subversion “because it would be easiest charge to give”.
Qin “drew a lot of attention, and possibly retaliation, from the authorities for openly criticising and reporting high-level public officials”, said Doriane Lau, a researcher at Amnesty International.
Qin, who was detained last month in Nanning, in the southern region of Guangxi, often took to social media to comment on topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese Communist Party, including pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
