A Chinese dissident who was injured during the 1989 Tiananmen square crackdown says Beijing police have detained him on a sensitive anniversary.
Qi Zhiyong says in a text message to reporters that he was detained after dropping off his daughter at school Wednesday morning. It is unclear where Qi was taken and why he was arrested. He lost his leg after being shot during the government's crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen democracy protests.
Wednesday marks the death of purged reformist Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang, who died 20 years ago on April 15th. Hu's death led to the 1989 uprising that troops brutally crushed, leaving hundreds if not thousands dead.
Also Wednesday, students in Hong Kong are voting on a motion that would hold the Chinese government to account for the crackdown as the 20th anniversary approaches.
Hong Kong University Student Union deputy chairwoman Cheng Xiaoyi told VOA (Mandarin service) that about two thousand students are expected to take part in the referendum by the time voting ends on Thursday. She said it is expected to pass.
Elsewhere in Hong Kong, lawyers gathered in front of the Chinese government representative's office to protest the beating of human rights lawyers in China.
Hong Kong is the only part of China where people are permitted to commemorate the events of 1989. But Beijing residents told VOA Wednesday that they remembered Hu Yaobang fondly on the 20th anniversary of his death.
Since the incident, Qi Zhiyong has become an outspoken activist, calling on the communist government to break its silence over the crackdown, and give a full account of those killed and wounded during its assault.
Other activists also said they were being watched closely on Wednesday.
Jiang Qingsheng, an activist who was once jailed for his pro-democracy work, says police are watching him around the clock at his home in eastern Jiangsu province.
གཟའ་པ་སངས། ༢༠༢༤/༠༤/༢༦