China detains publisher who voiced support for Communist Party critic Xu Zhangrun
- Geng Xiaonan and her husband Qin Zhen, who run Ruiya Books, are being held in Beijing, accused of operating an ‘illicit business’, their lawyer says
- But dissident academic Xu believes they have been detained because Geng ‘has spoken out against the injustice I have suffered’
Geng Xiaonan, founder of privately run publishing company Ruiya Books, was taken away by police on Wednesday, according to her lawyer Shang Baojun.
Her husband Qin Zhen, who has run the company with Geng since 2002, was also detained.
According to Shang, the couple are being held at the Haidian District Detention Centre.
“Police told Qin’s brother that they are suspected of running an illicit business operation,” Shang said, adding that the couple’s family had not yet received an official notice confirming the detention.
Attempts to contact Beijing police on Thursday for verification were not successful and calls to Geng and her company went unanswered.
Geng, 46, is a well-known figure in China’s publishing industry and has been active in organising arts and cultural events for independent artists and academics over the years. A film director by training, she was a producer of the movie River Road, which had its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2014.
The university also accused him of publishing numerous articles since mid-2018 that “seriously violated” its code of conduct.
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Geng was vocal in defending Xu when the well-known law professor was held by police for six days in early July over the prostitution allegation.
Xu said he believed Geng’s support for him was the reason she had been detained.
“The main reason is because Geng has spoken out against the injustice I have suffered and that has upset the authorities,” Xu said. “Geng Xiaonan has spoken out for the suppressed, and it is time for us to speak out for her now,” he added.
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A Beijing-based writer who has known the couple for years and requested anonymity for fear of retribution described Geng as “courageous” for speaking out.
“We can’t imagine that she would do anything that was against the law,” he said. “Although she has said that she might be arrested one day, it’s still a shock that this has happened.”
