Chinese feminist activist 'subjected to eight-hour grilling, bullying by police'

One of five leading Chinese women's rights advocates, conditionally released after being detained last month, said police verbally abused her during lengthy interrogations.

In a case that has attracted international attention, Wu Rongrong , 30, said in a statement released yesterday that she endured an eight-hour police interrogation in a hotel room in the eastern city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province . She said her interrogators insulted her at length, calling her selfish and ungrateful and telling her she brought shame to social activists.

"I finally walked out of the horrible Room 226 at 10.30pm," Wu wrote. "In cold winds, I was full of tears. I felt both my body and my mind were near collapse. I didn't know my way home. I was helpless and scared."

Wu could not be reached as she was banned from speaking to the media, but her lawyer, Lu Zhoubin, confirmed the statement's authenticity.

A policeman who Wu alleged was involved in her interrogations declined to be interviewed. Beijing police did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.

Wu and four others were detained last month, ahead of the International Women's Day, as they planned to hand out stickers and fliers against sexual harassment in several mainland cities.