BEIJING // A campaign against Chinese human rights activists was described yesterday as the most severe in more than a decade, as more foreign governments called for dissidents seized by the authorities to be freed.
The European Union yesterday said it was "concerned" by China's "increasing use of arbitrary detention", echoing comments from the United States and United Kingdom after weeks of tension sparked by calls for "jasmine revolution" pro-democracy protests. The French and German governments have also expressed concern.
"We call on the Chinese authorities to refrain from using arbitrary detention under any circumstances," the EU delegation in China said in a statement yesterday.
Governments and campaigners have cited the case of Ai Weiwei, a prominent Chinese artist and critic of one-party rule taken into custody on Sunday as he tried to board a flight to Hong Kong.
An online petition calling for the release of Mr Ai, 53, had yesterday attracted more than 1,500 signatures. Family and friends have been unable to contact him or determine his whereabouts, and several of his assistants and his wife, Lu Qing, were taken in for questioning.
"This time it's extremely serious," Ms Lu told Reuters. "They searched his studio and took discs and hard drives and all kinds of stuff, but the police haven't told us where he is or what they're after. There's no information about him."
He is one of dozens seized since February, when a foreign website posted times and locations for street protests in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities.
The pressure group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said yesterday that while the whereabouts of some under detention was known, a dozen people had disappeared and it was not known where they were being held. In such "extra-judicial detentions" activists have been held without being formally arrested in what has been described as a legal limbo. Others have been placed under surveillance or house arrest.
Li Xinai, the wife of Gu Chuan, an activist taken by police in mid-February, is said by CHRD to have gone to a Beijing police station on Sunday with her five-month-old baby to begin a hunger strike in protest at her husband's disappearance. Another activist, Hua Chunhui, is reported by CHRD to have been sent to a labour camp.
Mark Toner, a US State Department spokesman, said this week officials were "deeply concerned" about arrests, detentions and convictions of activists for "exercising their internationally recognised human right for freedom of expression".
Wang Songlian, CHRD research co-ordinator, said the detentions represent "a very serious situation". She described it as the biggest crackdown on activists since 1998, when campaigners said at least 100 activists were detained or arrested and several sent to labour camps.
"I think the government is very nervous because it knows that underneath the prosperity in China there is a lot of simmering discontent [because of], for example, forced evictions. This discontent has been bubbling," she said.
"The government knows no matter how much control they have, it's an unstable situation. Before [the wave of protests] in the Middle East, no one predicted it would happen."
The authorities were, she said, using the crackdown as an opportunity to stifle the growth of civil society.
"The government looks at what happened in the Middle East, and they realise they must crack down on civil society or it will be too late," she added.
Amnesty International said this week the latest spate of arrests was of particular concern, as there was no indication of when the authorities would relax controls.
While the authorities have reacted forcefully to calls for protests, no demonstrations have actually taken place, with a heavy police presence at the sites where they were planned preventing gatherings.
Events in Beijing and Shanghai grabbed headlines, however, when officials and security attacked reporters and camera crews, leading to editorials in state-controlled newspapers denouncing foreign journalists.
In comments made last month, Wu Bangguo, the second-highest ranked official in China after the president and party chairman, Hu Jintao, reiterated the communist party's opposition to a multi-party political system, warning that this could see the country "sink into the abyss of internal disorder".
The premier, Wen Jiabao, has talked of introducing democratic reforms, but his comments are thought to relate to intra-party democracy, rather than allowing genuine opposition parties.
dbardsley@thenational.ae
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
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• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
RESULTS
2.30pm Jaguar I-Pace – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt)
1,600m
Winner Namrood, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
(trainer)
3.05pm Land Rover Defender – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
1,400m
Winner Shadzadi, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm Jaguar F-Type – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Tahdeed, Fernando Jara, Nicholas Bachalard
4.15pm New Range Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
4.50pm Land Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Autumn Pride, Bernardo Pinheiro, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm Al Tayer Motor – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 T) 1,000m
Winner Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm Jaguar F-Pace SVR – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Scabbard, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
