Xie Yang, a mainland Chinese human rights lawyer who was arrested in the “709 arrests” incident, and his wife Chen Guiqiu, who is in the United States, said on Twitter that Xie Yang, who still lives in the mainland, and Chen Keyun, a human rights lawyer, went to Xi’an to try to visit the parents of arrested human rights lawyer Chang Wei Ping, but they lost contact during the visit, and Xie Yang has not been heard from for more than 24 hours. The lawyer has not been heard from for more than 24 hours. Chen Guiqiu said he had called Changsha State Security, which is responsible for guarding Xie Yang, but no one answered.
Chen Guiqiu’s post said the two were then taken to a five-star hotel in downtown Xi’an, where they were “illegally placed under house arrest.”
The post also mentioned that the police were afraid they would escape and detained their cell phones and identity cards. When the two protested strongly and asked to visit Baoji, Xi’an state security took them to the ancient city wall, a famous scenic spot in Xi’an.
That night the two rights lawyers were taken by the state security to the Xigang Aviation Hotel near the airport and guarded separately. Later, three state guards from Changsha arrived in Xi’an and tried to bring Xie Yang back to Changsha by force. Chen Keyun lost contact with Xie Yang at that time.
At 11:00 p.m. that night, Guangzhou authorities sent three officers to Xi’an, and since there was no immediate flight to Guangzhou, Chen Keyun stayed with them temporarily in Xi’an for one night. It was not until Sunday (17) that Chen Keyun strongly protested and refused to return to Guangzhou with them, so the police let Chen Keyun make a phone call to report to his family and returned his cell phone. The two men’s current location is unknown, but the encounter has drawn the attention of netizens on social media.
Xie Yang, who was tortured during the “709 arrests,” had his lawyer’s license revoked by the Hunan Provincial Department of Justice in August 2020, and has since been threatened by authorities that he “must not continue to speak out or face criminal charges.”
Recent Comments