Pet owner who gave out shirts at rally sullied Olympic city's image, say police
An opponent of Beijing's crackdown on dog ownership has been detained as police try to identify the organisers of what they say was an organised protest 10 days ago that humiliated the Olympic city.
Huang Yong, a 30-year-old government employee, was detained while distributing T-shirts bearing slogans such as 'Down with dog-raising restrictions' to demonstrators outside the Beijing Zoo, according to friends.
At least 500 dog lovers joined the protest outside the zoo against the seizure and killing of pets in a crackdown sparked by rabies fears. Hundreds of police monitored the protest and arrested some people.
'It has been 10 days since the detention. Police caught and released a dozen people that day. But my friend has not been released yet,' one of Mr Huang's friends said.
The friend said she had been told Mr Huang had been detained for disturbing public order and causing a riot, and faced up to 37 days in custody.
'He only gave out T-shirts. He did nothing wrong,' she said.
