The state environmental watchdog denied yesterday that Tai Lake anti-pollution warrior Wu Lihong had been arrested for his anti-pollution activism, saying he had broken the law.
State Environmental Protection Administration deputy director Zhang Lijun said: 'Wu was arrested for involvement in criminal charges. Reporters who are interested in his case can ask Yixing police about the details.'
But police in the Jiangsu province city could not reached for comment yesterday.
Wu's wife, Xu Jiehua , rejected the remarks about her husband's case. 'I am very angry because Sepa ignored my husband's contributions to fighting pollution in the Tai Lake region over the past 16 years,' Ms Xu said. 'The contamination of drinking water in Wuxi and Yixing is irrefutable evidence that his endeavours were correct.'
Earlier this month, Ms Xu filed a lawsuit against Sepa in a Beijing court on her husband's behalf over the watchdog's decision to name Yixing as one of the mainland's 'environmentally friendly model cities'.
Wu was detained at midnight on April 13 for allegedly blackmailing officials from his hometown, Zhoutie, in Yixing. But Ms Xu said Wu had fallen into a trap set by local officials to stop him continuing his anti-pollution campaign.
