Coronavirus crackdown: China arrests professor who linked COVID-19 to Communist party
Comments Off on Coronavirus crackdown: China arrests professor who linked COVID-19 to Communist partyOriginally published by Express on May 5, 2020
Chen Zhaozhi was detained for “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble” – a charge frequently used by authorities to gag peaceful critics of the ruling party. Mr Chen is a former professor at the Beijing University of Science and Technology. Police swooped on him on April 14 as they cracked down on online criticism of the regime.
Mr Chen had been vocal on online platforms in debates about coronavirus.
He said rather than call it a Chinese virus it should instead be referred to as a “Chinese Communist Party virus”.
The 68-year-old told his lawyer during their first meeting on April 24 police tried to extract a forced confession from him.
He refused to give in to their demands, according to the overseas based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network.
It is not known what police allegedly tried to force Mr Chen to confess to.
He is being held at the Haidian Detention Centre in the Chinese capital.
Mr Chen suffers from high blood pressure and has previously suffered a stroke.
Campaigners are therefore concerned for his health.