Chinese writer Cao Baoyin detained by police after alternative school closure
Cao Baoyin, a well-known Chinese writer and strong advocate of the “new education” model of alternative schooling, was detained by police in Beijing on Tuesday.
Cao Baoyin, a well-known Chinese writer and columnist, was detained by police in Nanjing on Tuesday, according to two family friends.
The family friends spoke to the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the matter.
Cao was detained on Tuesday, Zhou Ze, a rights lawyer, confirmed in a Weibo post on Wednesday evening. The post has since been deleted. He did not say whether charges have been put forward.
According to Zhou, Cao called his wife from Nanjing on Tuesday, telling her that he had been detained by police. Zhou and another family friend said police in Beijing’s Fengtai district searched Cao’s home there. A seizure notice by Fengtai police showed that two boxes of books, one laptop and 26 CDs were seized.
It was unclear whether Cao had only been summoned for questioning or whether charges had been pressed. Under Chinese law, police can criminally detain suspects for up to 24 hours without informing the family and up 30 days before formalising an arrest, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Zhou could not be reached on Wednesday. Cao’s wife confirmed the detention but declined to comment further on Wednesday.
Family friends have suggested the writer’s detention could be tied to the closure of a controversial alternative school project in the capital’s southern district.