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Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing were detained in Guangzhou three months ago. Photos: Handout

Group of Chevening scholars call on China to release detained #MeToo, labour activists

  • Sophia Huang, who was awarded the UK scholarship, and her friend Wang Jianbing were arrested three months ago on suspicion of ‘inciting subversion of state power’
  • A statement from more than 110 Chevening alumni urges the authorities to ‘immediately disclose their whereabouts’ and unconditionally release the pair
More than 110 alumni of the British Chevening Scholarship have urged Beijing to unconditionally release detained Chinese activists Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing.
Huang, an independent journalist known for her #MeToo activism, was awarded the prestigious scholarship and planned to start a master’s degree at the University of Sussex before she was detained three months ago in the southern city of Guangzhou. Her friend Wang, a labour activist, was also taken into custody.

In a joint statement, the scholars also asked the British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which funds the scholarship, to begin a dialogue with the Chinese authorities about the pair and for the Chevening leadership team to stand with the alumni in calling for their release.

“We express our utmost concern over the arbitrary arrest and detention of Chevenor Huang Xueqin as it seems to be only aimed at punishing her and her fellow for their legitimate human rights [activism],” said the statement, which was released on Thursday by the concern group Free Xueqin & Jianbing.

“We urge the Chinese authorities to immediately disclose their whereabouts and unconditionally release Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing.”

The 112 Chevening scholars and alumni who signed the open statement came from more than 40 countries including Brazil, Pakistan and South Africa, and nine were from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Huang and Wang have been arrested on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. They are being held at the Guangzhou No 1 Detention Centre, according to a charge sheet issued by police in October.

No one has been able to see the pair since they were detained in September, and a visitation request from the lawyer hired by Wang’s family was denied, according to the concern group. It said the family had also been told by the authorities not to speak about the case.

An FCDO spokeswoman said the office remained concerned that there had been no contact with Huang or Wang since September, and it was closely following the matter.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to inquiries.

Friends and family of Huang and Wang have said they were surprised by the charges against the pair. Dissident writer Li Xuewen, Wang’s friend, previously told the South China Morning Post that he never expected to see them charged with something as harsh as “inciting subversion”.
The global tennis community has raised concerns over the safety of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. Photo: AP
It comes as the international community has become more vocal about human rights abuses and #MeToo issues in China.
The global tennis community – including heavyweights such as Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams – expressed concern for Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who disappeared from public view for weeks in November after alleging she was sexually assaulted by former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli.
Even after she reappeared in public, and Chinese state media’s repeated assurances that she was fine, the Women’s Tennis Association said Beijing had not addressed the issue in any credible way and as a result it had suspended tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, which could cost the organisation millions.
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