Chinese journalist detained after open letter calling for Xi Jinping’s resignation released
Employees of news website and family members detained as authorities hunt for source of letter and those who helped to disseminate it
A Chinese journalist who was taken away by police and believed to be under investigation over an online open letter calling for President Xi Jinping to resign has been released, his lawyer said.
Jia Jia, a freelance journalist based in Beijing, was freed on Friday, Chen Jiangang told the Sunday Morning Post. He was taken away by police on March 15 at Beijing Capital International Airport on his way to Hong Kong.
Jia was picked up by his wife and taken to a hotel for the weekend. He would not see friends, lawyers or reporters during these two days, Chen said.
“It is a tacit agreement reached [between Jia and the police]…to lower the impact,” Chen said.
Jia’s detention was believed to be linked to an open letter published this month on Wujie News, a government affiliated news website, calling for Xi to step down, criticising the president for his concentration of power and the personality cult building up around him, as well as his policies regarding the economy, diplomacy and governance.
The letter, which was quickly removed, was signed “Loyal Communist Party members”. It was first published on an overseas Chinese human rights website. Little else is known about its authorship.