Chinese Activist Arrested for Letter Critical of Government

Source: The Washington Post

BEIJING, Dec. 10 -- One of China's most prominent human-rights activists has been arrested following publication of an open letter to the government from hundreds of prominent Chinese intellectuals, according to his wife and a colleague. The document, published Tuesday on the Internet, proposes extensive political reform, including an end to one-party rule.

The unusually bold appeal, released just ahead of Wednesday's International Human Rights Day, has struck a discordant note here amid the Chinese government's attempts to paint a picture of progress as China prepares for the 30th anniversary celebrations of the opening and reform policies begun by the late leader Deng Xiaoping.

Police arrested a suspected organizer of the letter, veteran dissident Liu Xiaobo, late Monday night in his Beijing home. His wife told reporters that a large group of policemen had arrived with an arrest warrant around 11 p.m.; some took him away, and the others stayed through the night to search the house and confiscate computers, books and other belongings.

Another prominent signer of the document, political theorist and activist Zhang Zuhua, was arrested and detained at the same time but was released the next morning after a lengthy interrogation, he said. His house was also searched and belongings confiscated. According to Zhang, Liu is now being detained on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/10/AR2008121002854.html?hpid=moreheadlines

That's how bad the Bush administration has been for America.

The Chinese want a few more multinational factories on their territory ....

After all .... Chinese workers cant complain ....