Chinese authorities have arrested more than 10 activists who campaigned to have political leaders disclose their financial assets, lawyers said on Thursday, with one charged with “inciting state subversion”.
China’s ruling Communist Party has been scandalised for years by persistent reports of corrupt officials living lavish lifestyles, and activists have called for laws requiring government officials to publicly list their assets.
Newly-appointed President Xi Jinping has vowed to crackdown on all forms of corruption.
But police in southern China’s Jiangxi province detained activist Liu Ping, 48, in late April for “inciting subversion of state power”, after she campaigned online for official asset disclosure, her lawyer, Zheng Jianwei, said.
Police in Jiangxi did not answer phone calls on Thursday. They had not given a clear reason for her arrest, Zheng said, adding that it probably related to her recent activism.
In a separate case, Beijing police have arrested at least 10 people after activists unfurled a banner calling for official asset disclosure in a busy Beijing shopping district last month.
“First four were arrested, then another six were arrested in connection with the incident” after police forced the small-scale protest to end, said Liang Xiaojun, a lawyer for several of the activists.