Relatives of a Jiangsu farmer who blew the whistle on a bird flu outbreak in Anhui have expressed concern about the man's condition after officials rejected his lawyer's request to meet him on Tuesday.
Qiao Songju was detained on November 25 by police in Gaoyou , Jiangsu, on allegations of blackmail.
His detention came six weeks after he directly contacted the Ministry of Agriculture to report a bird flu outbreak in Tianchang in neighbouring Anhui province, which led to a ministry investigation and an announcement on October 24 that 2,100 poultry in the area were suspected of having the disease.
'I can't get to sleep these days. What has happened to him? Has he been tortured? I'm really worried,' Mr Qiao's wife, Wang Xiulan , said yesterday.
One of the allegations against Mr Qiao relates to a vaccine case that took place two years ago, while the other concerns the Tianchang outbreak.
His lawyer, Kong Weizhao of Anhui's Zhenyi Law Firm, told the Post he met Gaoyou police on Tuesday, but was not allowed to see Mr Qiao. Mr Kong would not provide further details.