Update | China artist Ai Weiwei says passport returned after four years, plans London trip
Contemporary artist has been denied a passport since 2011 in an apparent attempt to limit his international influence
Artist and government critic Ai Weiwei has gotten his passport back four years after it was confiscated by Chinese authorities and plans to visit Germany for a medical checkup and to see his young son.
Ai posted an Instagram photo Wednesday of himself holding a Chinese passport with the caption, “Today, I got my passport.” Ai’s supporters shared the artist’s post and cheered the news.
Ai’s representative Darryl Leung confirmed the passport had been returned, and said Ai planned to visit Germany, where he will have a checkup and to see his son, who has been living abroad for the last 11 months.
Ai was detained by authorities for about three months in 2011 but not charged. His design firm was later slapped with a $2.4 million tax bill, which he fought unsuccessfully in Chinese courts. The persecution is widely seen as punishment for Ai’s outspokenness against the ruling Communist Party and its government. He has long irked Beijing by using his art and online profile to draw attention to injustices in China.
When he was released, he was placed under a travel ban. It was partially lifted in 2012 that allowed Ai to travel domestically, but authorities kept Ai’s passport on the grounds that he remained under investigation on suspicion of pornography and illegal exchange of foreign currency. Ai dismissed both charges, and he has not been indicted on either charge.
Chinese authorities often deny passports to dissidents who might embarrass the ruling Communist Party overseas.