A person detained in December after taking part in China’s largest protests in years was released on bail this week, his mother told AFP, while 11 protesters remain in jail.
The detention in Canton (south) of Yang Zijing, 25, ended Tuesday, said his mother Gao Xiusheng, who did not wish to communicate more information for fear of reprisals.
Easing of health restrictions
Popular dissatisfaction with the strict policy of “zero covidled by Beijing had been brewing for some time when demonstrations erupted at the end of November on a scale not seen for years. Sanitary restrictions were subsequently suddenly eased.
According to an overseas activist surnamed Rio interviewed by AFP, Yang Zijing and six other Guangzhou protesters close to him were released on bail on Monday and Tuesday after being held in pretrial detention for 30 days, the maximum scheduled without new prosecution.
Read alsoThierry Wolton: “The real reasons for the abandonment of the “zero Covid” policy in China”
Yang Zijing, who identifies as non-binary, took part in a November 27 protest in Guangzhou’s Haizhu Square, before his December 4 arrest for “disturbance of public order“. According to Rio, released protesters are required to stay in their city of residence for a period of one year – a condition of their release on bail – and must report regularly to the police.
“They will be under close surveillance by different services“, he explained. Rio told AFP he knew of 11 other Beijing protesters who have been jailed since December 18, initially summoned by police the day after a demonstration held on November 27. Their cell phones were then confiscated.
Police intimidation
According to another person with knowledge of their arrest, this group includes two journalists and an editor and is suspected of “gathering to disturb public order.Relatives of those arrested are afraid to speak out publicly because of police intimidation, she said.
According to another person familiar with the case, the lawyers of several members of the group have been prevented from speaking to the media. According to the Rio activist, at least one of its members was arrested in Guangdong province and taken to Beijing.
AFP has learned of several cases of demonstrators, most of them young, detained for up to 24 hours in Beijing and Shanghai, the police using sophisticated technologies to locate them.
SEE ALSO – Protests in China: Police order passers-by to delete content from their phones