Chinese dissidents held in bid to stem revolution

THIS WEEK has seen one of the biggest round-ups of prominentdissidents and activists in China in years, as fears of "JasmineRevolution"-style protests prompt the government to step up itscrackdown on dissent.

China has told the United Nations to stay out of its affairs amidcriticism of the crackdown, which has led to a marked increase incontrol of the internet.

Much of the campaign seems to be focused on the southwesternprovince of Sichuan. Chen Wei (42), a critic of China's one-partysystem who lives in Sichuan, was arrested on charges of "incitingsubversion of state power", while pro-democracy writer and editorRan Yunfei was charged with subversion for his alleged role incalling for popular uprisings in China similar to those gripping theMiddle East and north Africa.

Also in the province, the writer Liu Xianbin was jailed this weekon subversion charges after he published pro-reform articles online."The situation is currently very tense," his wife, Chen Mingxian,said. "Friends have been summoned to court and detained."

Meanwhile, Yang Hengjun, a Chinese-born Australian spy novelistand blogger who has disappeared and who was believed to have beendetained in the crackdown on political expression, contacted friendsto say he was sick.

Many of the lawyers rounded up, including Teng Biao, JiangTianyong and Tang Jitian, remain in custody amid reports of torture.

There are ongoing fears about the fate of the most prominent ofthe human rights lawyers, Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing fornearly a year and who said he had been tortured during a series ofdetentions since 2006.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention this week said MrGao's detention was in breach of international law because Beijinghad failed to meet minimum international standards for due process.His wife, Geng He, wrote in a public letter that she feared he wassuffering. "My husband has been tortured many times," she wrote ofthe lawyer, who defended religious dissenters, including members ofthe outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement, and soughtconstitutional reform.

Ms Geng called on President Barack Obama to ask President HuJintao to let Mr Zhisheng make contact, "and if he has been killed,we should be allowed the dignity of laying him to rest".

The Chinese government responded by saying it did not know MrGao's whereabouts and told the UN to stay out of China's business.

"China attaches importance to co-operation with the UN humanrights mechanisms," Jiang Yu said. "We also urge these mechanisms tomaintain an objective and impartial attitude and to respect China'sjudicial sovereignty."