Chinese labour rights activists detained as authorities try to shut down silicosis campaign
- Journalists’ families and friends report two men were taken this week, months after their Xinshengdai news portal was silenced by the government
Police in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have intensified their repression of labour activists, detaining at least two campaigners for migrant workers suffering from silicosis and other work-related health problems.
Relatives of Wei Zhili, the editor and co-owner of Shenzhen-based online labour news portal Xinshengdai, said the 31-year-old was taken from his parents’ home in Baiyun district in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, by police at about 1am on Wednesday.
Founded in 2013, Xinshengdai and its social media outlets have been closed down several times by the authorities and reopened by the editors, but it has not been active since last year.
Wei’s colleague, Ke Chengbing, was also reported missing and his whereabouts are unknown. Ke’s family was waiting on official word of his arrest.
Silicosis has been a big issue for labour organisers in Shenzhen, where hundreds of construction workers exposed to silica dust were not provided with adequate protection.