Chinese activist Wang Aizhong spoke his mind on Twitter. Now he’s behind bars

Wang co-founded Southern Street Movement in Guangzhou 10 years ago, calling for an end to one-party rule

Police say his comments online and to overseas media threatened the state, according to a family friend

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Wang Aizhong has been active on social media commenting on human rights issues in China. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:30pm, 6 Jun 2021Updated: 9:45pm, 6 Jun 2021

To Wang Henan, her husband Wang Aizhong is without doubt a patriot. But to the authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, the veteran activist is nothing but a troublemaker who must be kept on a tight leash.

The 44-year-old activist, who helped found the Southern Street Movement in Guangzhou 10 years ago, was taken into custody on May 28 on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a catch-all offence often used by authorities to muzzle dissent.

The family and the lawyer they hired have been told little more than Wang Aizhong was held at a detention centre in Tianhe district in the city’s east.

Police have barred in-person contact, citing concerns over the Covid-19 outbreak in Guangzhou that has so far sickened fewer than 100 people since it started about two weeks ago.

And a detention notice only refers to the vague picking quarrels charge as the alleged offence.

According to a family friend, both Wang Henan and the lawyer were warned not to speak to the media.