EXPLAINER: What drives high-profile disappearances in China
3 years, 4 months ago

EXPLAINER: What drives high-profile disappearances in China

Associated Press  

BEIJING — The disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai in China following her accusation of sexual assault against a former top Communist Party official has shined a spotlight on similar cases involving political dissidents, entertainers, business leaders and others who have run afoul of the authorities. The post was quickly deleted from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, but screenshots of the explosive accusation quickly spread across China’s internet. Days later, the government ordered Ma’s Ant Group, a financial service that grew out of Alibaba’s online payments business, to suspend a planned stock market debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Shum told Time magazine his wife begged him in a phone call not to publish his book, “Red Roulette.” Duan, also known as Whitney Duan, was cited by The New York Times in a 2012 series of articles about the family wealth of then-Premier Wen Jiabao, China’s No.

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History of this topic

Chinese journalist who promoted #MeToo movement sentenced to 5 years in prison
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Chinese journalist who promoted #MeToo movement sentenced to 5 years in prison

Associated Press  

BEIJING — Supporters say a Chinese journalist who promoted women’s rights as part of the country’s nascent #MeToo movement has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of incitement to subvert state authority, almost three years after she and an activist were detained. Huang and Wang’s cases appear to have become intertwined as part of the most recent …

Chinese #MeToo activist jailed for five years for subversion
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Chinese #MeToo activist jailed for five years for subversion

Al Jazeera  

Journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin was detained in 2021 with labour activist Wang Jianbing who was jailed three years and six months. Prominent #MeToo activist and journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin has been jailed for five years by a court in southern China after being found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power”. “Tomorrow marks exactly one thousand days since Sophia Huang …

A citizen journalist imprisoned for ‘provoking trouble’ by reporting on COVID in China is released
10 months, 1 week ago

A citizen journalist imprisoned for ‘provoking trouble’ by reporting on COVID in China is released

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist, was released from prison after serving four years for charges related to reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, according to a video statement she released Tuesday, eight days after her sentence ended, though there are concerns about how much freedom of movement she has. Zhang was sentenced to four years in …

Fears for missing Wuhan journalist as she vanishes upon prison release after serving four years for filming COVID lab leak
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Fears for missing Wuhan journalist as she vanishes upon prison release after serving four years for filming COVID lab leak

Daily Mail  

US officials have sounded the alarm over the disappearance of a Chinese pandemic whistleblower journalist who was supposed to be released from jail. Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison for live streaming the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan. 'The United States is deeply concerned over reports that PRC citizen journalist Ms. Zhang Zhan has …

Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The whereabouts of a Chinese …

Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Status of Chinese citizen journalist who reported on COVID unknown on day of expected prison release

Associated Press  

BANGKOK — The whereabouts of a Chinese citizen journalist who served four years in prison for reporting on the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan and was expected to be released Monday are unknown, raising concern from activists. Zhang Zhan, who had been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vaguely …

Chinese citizen journalist jailed for Covid reporting in Wuhan finally set to be released
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Chinese citizen journalist jailed for Covid reporting in Wuhan finally set to be released

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, …

2 Chinese Bloggers in Exile Warn That Police Are Interrogating Their Followers
1 year, 1 month ago

2 Chinese Bloggers in Exile Warn That Police Are Interrogating Their Followers

The Diplomat  

Wang Zhi’an and Li Ying said in separate posts that Chinese police were interrogating people who followed them on social media, and urged followers to take precautions. Two prominent Chinese bloggers in exile said police were investigating their millions of followers on international social media platforms, in an escalation of Beijing’s attempts to clamp down on critical speech even outside …

Australian journalist says she was detained for 3 years in China for breaking an embargo
1 year, 5 months ago

Australian journalist says she was detained for 3 years in China for breaking an embargo

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — Australian journalist Cheng Lei says she spent more than three years in detention in China for breaking an embargo with a television broadcast on a state-run TV network. Her treatment in custody was designed to “drive home that point that in China that is a big sin,” Cheng told Sky News Australia. A Beijing court convicted her …

Accused of 'supplying state secrets', journalist Cheng Lei waited three years in a Chinese prison — here's how she made it home
1 year, 5 months ago

Accused of 'supplying state secrets', journalist Cheng Lei waited three years in a Chinese prison — here's how she made it home

ABC  

Australian journalist Cheng Lei has returned to Australia and been reunited with her family — more than three years after she was first detained in China. Ms Cheng was working as a broadcast journalist at Chinese state-owned media CGTN when she was arrested and accused of "supplying state secrets overseas" in 2020 — an allegation she rejected. Accused of 'endangering …

China: MeToo journalist, labour activist to appear in secret trial amid increasing crackdown on civil society
1 year, 6 months ago

China: MeToo journalist, labour activist to appear in secret trial amid increasing crackdown on civil society

India TV News  

An independent MeToo journalist and a labour activist in China, who have been detained for over two years, are scheduled to appear in a 'secret' trial on Friday amid Beijing's intensifying crackdown on the remaining aspects of the Chinese civil society, according to a report by CNN. MeToo activist Huang Xueqin and labour rights activist Wang Jiangbing were detained by …

A Chinese #MeToo journalist and an activist spent 2 years in detention. Their trial starts this week
1 year, 6 months ago

A Chinese #MeToo journalist and an activist spent 2 years in detention. Their trial starts this week

Associated Press  

BEIJING — After two years in detention, a Chinese journalist active in the #MeToo movement will go on trial this week, along with a labor rights activist who was detained with her in 2021, one of their supporters said. Huang Xueqin, an independent journalist, helped spark China’s first #MeToo case in 2018 when she helped a graduate student go public …

WTA ends China boycott but vows not to ‘let Peng Shuai be forgotten’
1 year, 11 months ago

WTA ends China boycott but vows not to ‘let Peng Shuai be forgotten’

The Independent  

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Tournaments were …

Chinese man who abused wife, chained her jailed for 9 years
1 year, 11 months ago

Chinese man who abused wife, chained her jailed for 9 years

Hindustan Times  

China jailed a man nine years for abusing a mother of eight children who was found chained in a doorless hut — a scandal that stunned the Asian nation and prompted discussion of women’s rights. The court described Dong’s behavior as “heinous” and said his “abusive practices led to major damage to Xiaohuamei’s health.” Another five people received prison terms …

Chinese 'spy' Liqiang Wang loses visa appeal
2 years, 2 months ago

Chinese 'spy' Liqiang Wang loses visa appeal

Daily Mail  

Tribunal denies him visa for committing fraud despite admitting he is in danger A confessed spy for Beijing who sensationally went on national TV to expose the extent of China's overseas espionage activities has been denied the right to stay in Australia. Liqiang Wang who outed himself as a spy for China on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes in 2019 has …

Peng Shuai saga hews to familiar script in China
3 years, 1 month ago

Peng Shuai saga hews to familiar script in China

Associated Press  

BEIJING — The drama surrounding Peng Shuai is following a familiar script, in which someone who has run afoul of China’s Communist government disappears from view. I n an interview published Monday by a French sports paper, the tennis player called the whole situation an “enormous misunderstanding.” Here’s a look at a some other people who have disappeared over the …

Peng Shuai saga hews to familiar script in China
3 years, 1 month ago

Peng Shuai saga hews to familiar script in China

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The drama surrounding Peng Shuai …

Peng Shuai denies ‘disappearing’ after sex assault claim
3 years, 1 month ago

Peng Shuai denies ‘disappearing’ after sex assault claim

Al Jazeera  

Tennis star also tells French journalists that she did not make assault allegation and is retiring from the sport. Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied she “disappeared” last year after making a claim of sexual assault against a top Chinese official on social media. I talked to them, I answered their emails, I also talked with the WTA.” Peng, …

EXPLAINER: Peng Shuai case shows barriers Chinese women face
3 years, 1 month ago

EXPLAINER: Peng Shuai case shows barriers Chinese women face

Associated Press  

BEIJING — The controversy surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s accusations of sexual assault against a former top politician continues to cast a shadow of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in the runup to their official kickoff on Friday. CONTROVERSY STILL SURROUNDS PENG’S ACCUSATIONS Peng disappeared from public view last year after accusing former Communist Party official Zhang Gaoli of …

Peng Shuai's situation attracted global attention — but what about the others who 'disappear' in China?
3 years, 2 months ago

Peng Shuai's situation attracted global attention — but what about the others who 'disappear' in China?

ABC  

Yang Maodong was missing for about a month before his loved ones were told he had been arrested by China's police. Key points: Chinese authorities often put people in secret detention without informing their families, friends or colleagues Hundreds of lawyers, activists, journalists and others have been "disappeared" in this way The authorities' rationale for holding them is not always …

‘Picking quarrels’: China critics overseas at increasing risk
3 years, 2 months ago

‘Picking quarrels’: China critics overseas at increasing risk

Al Jazeera  

New report finds Chinese authorities trying to coerce critics thousands of miles from home into returning. Wang’s story may sound dramatic, but it is far from extraordinary in Xi Jinping’s China, according to human rights watchdog Safeguard Defenders, which released a new report on Tuesday on the country’s widespread practice of “involuntary returns”. Methods to “encourage” return can vary from …

Chinese media claims tennis player Peng Shuai has denied sexual assault allegations
3 years, 3 months ago

Chinese media claims tennis player Peng Shuai has denied sexual assault allegations

Op India  

On December 19, Chinese media claimed that the Tennis player Peng Shuai denied accusing anyone of sexually assaulting her. Chinese govt mouthpiece’s reporter said Peng was seen in public On Sunday, before the interview with Lianhe Zaobao got published, Chen Qingqing, a Chinese mouthpiece Global Times reporter, tweeted footage and a few photographs of Peng in which she was seen …

Peng Shuai denies sexual assault allegation in new video, but ‘deepening concerns’ remain
3 years, 3 months ago

Peng Shuai denies sexual assault allegation in new video, but ‘deepening concerns’ remain

New York Times  

Peng Shuai, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion from China, denies making a claim in November that she had been sexually assaulted by a former Communist Party leader. In a video posted by Singaporean publication Lianhe Zaobao, Peng said "there's been a lot of misunderstanding" in regards to a since-deleted social media post. “I’ve been very free all along.” On …

China: My friend won a scholarship to study in Britain, then vanished
3 years, 3 months ago

China: My friend won a scholarship to study in Britain, then vanished

The Telegraph  

So the celebrations at the end of August doubled as a farewell party. Recently, the disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai made international headlines: she vanished from public view last month after accusing a former vice-premier of coercing her into sex. “You have to think about what’s the safe line and what’s the red line,” she told me in …

Ex-Alibaba employee warns going public causes victims ‘hurt’
3 years, 3 months ago

Ex-Alibaba employee warns going public causes victims ‘hurt’

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — An employee of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba who was fired after she went public with a sexual assault allegation says she is not encouraging other victims in China to come forward because doing so “will only cause them to suffer more hurt.” The employee, surnamed Zhou, had gone public in August with accusations that a fellow employee …

Peng Shuai: What drives high-profile disappearances in China?
3 years, 4 months ago

Peng Shuai: What drives high-profile disappearances in China?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The disappearance of tennis star …

How Peng Shuai’s case directly threaten the communists’ power in China
3 years, 4 months ago

How Peng Shuai’s case directly threaten the communists’ power in China

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The head of the Women’s Tennis Association, Steve Simon, …

It’s not just Peng. China is cracking down on MeToo movement
3 years, 4 months ago

It’s not just Peng. China is cracking down on MeToo movement

Associated Press  

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Huang Xueqin, who publicly supported a woman when she accused a professor of sexual assault, was arrested in September. “They’re publicly excluding us from the legitimacy, from the legitimate public space,” said Lu Pin, an activist who now lives in the U.S. but is still active on women’s rights issues in China. “This society’s middle ground is …

All about Zhang Gaoli, the man in the centre of the Peng Shuai controversy
3 years, 4 months ago

All about Zhang Gaoli, the man in the centre of the Peng Shuai controversy

Firstpost  

Zhang Gaoli has not appeared in public view and has not responded to the claims. The former vice premier has been accused by tennis champion Peng Shuai — in a message promptly censored on Chinese social networks — of forcing her to have sex during a long-term on-off relationship. Born in 1946 in Jinjiang, in the southeastern province of Fujian, …

Missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai reappears in public in Beijing
3 years, 4 months ago

Missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai reappears in public in Beijing

India TV News  

Highlights Chinese government appears to defuse alarm about Peng without acknowledging her disappearance Peng’s disappearance appeals for information prompted calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics The WTA threatened to pull events out of China unless the safety of Peng was assured Missing tennis star Peng Shuai reappeared in public Sunday at a youth tournament in Beijing, according to …

What drives high-profile disappearances in China? An explainer
3 years, 4 months ago

What drives high-profile disappearances in China? An explainer

LA Times  

The disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai in China following her accusation of sexual assault against a former top Communist Party official has shined a spotlight on similar cases involving political dissidents, entertainers, business leaders and others who have run afoul of the authorities. The post was quickly deleted from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media …

China silent on tennis star Peng Shuai despite growing overseas concern
3 years, 4 months ago

China silent on tennis star Peng Shuai despite growing overseas concern

Firstpost  

Peng Shuai has not been heard from since accusing former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual abuse Beijing, China: China on Monday stayed silent over growing overseas concern for tennis star Peng Shuai, who has not been heard from since accusing a powerful politician of sexual abuse — the first time the #MeToo movement has reached the top echelons of the …

Mar-a-Lago-trespasser deported to China 2 years later
3 years, 4 months ago

Mar-a-Lago-trespasser deported to China 2 years later

Associated Press  

PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Chinese businesswoman convicted of trespassing at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and lying to Secret Service agents was deported over the weekend, federal authorities said, more than two years after serving her sentence. But she was held at the Glades County Detention Center for three times as long as her prison term mainly because of …

Chinese journalist imprisoned over Covid reporting in desperate need of medical care, says family
3 years, 4 months ago

Chinese journalist imprisoned over Covid reporting in desperate need of medical care, says family

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist imprisoned for reporting on China’s initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020, is in desperate need of medical care, according to Human Rights Watch. The US-based rights group is calling on authorities in Beijing to release Zhang, a former lawyer, who was detained in May 2020 and sentenced in December …

China's #MeToo scandal: Tennis, sex and politics combine as Peng Shuai accuses ex-vice premier of sexual assault
3 years, 4 months ago

China's #MeToo scandal: Tennis, sex and politics combine as Peng Shuai accuses ex-vice premier of sexual assault

Firstpost  

Peng is a former top-ranked doubles player, taking 23 tour-level doubles titles, including Grand Slams at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. Chinese authorities have squelched virtually all online discussion of sexual assault accusations apparently made by a Chinese professional tennis star against a former top government official, showing how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to …

Shock in China as tennis star accuses top leader of sexual abuse
3 years, 4 months ago

Shock in China as tennis star accuses top leader of sexual abuse

The Hindu  

Top Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s allegations of a sexual assault and subsequent years-long affair with a senior Communist Party of China leader and former Vice Premier has triggered intense debate in China as well as a massive effort by the authorities to censor it. In a late night post on Tuesday on her official account on Sina Weibo, the …

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs
3 years, 7 months ago

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs

Associated Press  

A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders. “ really wasn’t interested in reaching out until recent years,” said Chen, who has tracked China’s international …

Detainee reveals China holds Uyghurs and dissidents in Dubai secret jail
3 years, 7 months ago

Detainee reveals China holds Uyghurs and dissidents in Dubai secret jail

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Chinese woman has alleged …

China running 'secret jails' in Dubai to detain Uyghurs and dissidents: Chinese woman
3 years, 7 months ago

China running 'secret jails' in Dubai to detain Uyghurs and dissidents: Chinese woman

Op India  

It is no secret that the Xinjiang autonomous region in China has been running ‘re-education’ camps where millions of Uyghurs are made to denounce their ways of life, religious beliefs and practices. Wu Huan, the 26-year-old Chinese lady, who was reportedly on the run to avoid being extradited to China because her fiancé was a Chinese dissident, claimed that she …

Detainee says China has secret jail for Uighurs – in Dubai
3 years, 7 months ago

Detainee says China has secret jail for Uighurs – in Dubai

Al Jazeera  

Woman says she was held for days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uighurs. A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uighurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black …

Chinese citizen-journalist gets 4-yr jail term for reporting on Wuhan virus
4 years, 3 months ago

Chinese citizen-journalist gets 4-yr jail term for reporting on Wuhan virus

Live Mint  

A Chinese court handed a four-year jail term on Monday to a citizen-journalist who reported from the central city of Wuhan at the peak of last year's coronavirus outbreak, on grounds of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," her lawyer said. "We will probably appeal," the lawyer, Ren Quanniu, told Reuters, adding that the trial at a court in Pudong, a …

Grandma Wong: Hong Kong protester who disappeared says she was held in mainland China for months
4 years, 5 months ago

Grandma Wong: Hong Kong protester who disappeared says she was held in mainland China for months

The Independent  

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A well-known Hong Kong protester who earned the moniker of “Grandma Wong” …

Chen Jieren: Chinese journalist jailed for 15 years for ‘vilifying the Communist Party and government’
4 years, 11 months ago

Chen Jieren: Chinese journalist jailed for 15 years for ‘vilifying the Communist Party and government’

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — A former Chinese state media journalist turned anti-corruption blogger has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. On Thursday, a court in the southern province jailed him for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” extortion, blackmail and bribery, in what one human rights group said was an attempt to “punish him for his political speech on WeChat …

Chinese woman jailed for trespassing at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort
5 years, 4 months ago

Chinese woman jailed for trespassing at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Chinese woman caught trespassing at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort …

China says alleged spy seeking Australia asylum is a fraudster
5 years, 4 months ago

China says alleged spy seeking Australia asylum is a fraudster

Al Jazeera  

China has said a self-confessed spy who is seeking asylum in Australia is a convicted fraudster wanted by Shanghai police. The Nine Network newspapers The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reported Chinese defector Wang “William” Liqiang has given Australia’s counterespionage agency inside intelligence on how Beijing conducts its interference operations abroad. Wang reportedly revealed the identities of China’s senior …

Hong Kong protests: China trying to manipulate politics with covert intelligence operation, says whistleblower
5 years, 4 months ago

Hong Kong protests: China trying to manipulate politics with covert intelligence operation, says whistleblower

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A man claiming to be …

Simon Cheng released from detention by China, after the UK consular worker was detained
5 years, 7 months ago

Simon Cheng released from detention by China, after the UK consular worker was detained

CNN  

Hong Kong CNN — A United Kingdom consular worker who was detained in China for 15 days has returned to Hong Kong, according to his family. “Simon and his family wish to have some time to rest and recover … We will explain more later.” Police in Luohu, a district of Shenzhen, confirmed Cheng’s release on Saturday. In a statement, …

Chinese Woman With 'Malware' Allegedly Lied To Secret Service To Get Into Mar-A-Lago
5 years, 11 months ago

Chinese Woman With 'Malware' Allegedly Lied To Secret Service To Get Into Mar-A-Lago

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A woman carrying two Chinese passports illegally entered President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday while carrying a thumb drive with malware stored on it, according to a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Florida. The complaint claims that the 32-year-old woman, Yujing Zhang, lied to Secret Service agents and appeared to be unable …

China 'disappeared' several high-profile people in 2018 and some of them are still missing
6 years, 2 months ago

China 'disappeared' several high-profile people in 2018 and some of them are still missing

ABC  

From prominent celebrities to the Interpol chief, the world has seen millions of people in China seemingly vanish into thin air over the past few years — and yet the international community has remained largely silent. He said condemnation needed to come from a united front within the international community and go beyond individual cases to "challenge China on the …

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