Online Journalism News

Chinese web essayist goes missing

Posted: 08/01/03 By: Caroline White

Email this story | Comments

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has issued an alert on the welfare of a Chinese web essayist who went missing late last year and has still not been found.

Liu Di, 22, has written several online essays criticising the government. Official95{er family to say she is under investigation but that her current whereabouts are unknown.

In her online writings, Liu Di expressed fears of being arrested. Authorities had called her in for questioning prior to her disappearance, one day before the opening of the 16th Communist Party Congress.

During the run-up to the congress authorities cracked down on free expression and dissent by arresting government critics, closing web sites and tightening control over the official media.

Out of the 36 journalists imprisoned in China, 14 are currently serving time for publishing or distributing information online, according to CPJ's records.

Source: http://www.cpj.org/news/2002/China10dec02na.html
See also: http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story535.html

Got a story? Email our news team: Laura Oliver; Judith Townend or telephone +44 (0)1273 384290. You can also follow us on Twitter: @journalismnews / @LauraOliver / @JTownend.