US follows closely 'disturbing' case of detained Chinese activist
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US State Department said Monday it is following closely the "disturbing" case of one of China's most prominent human rights activists who was detained last month.
Hu Jia, 34, was taken by police on December 27 on charges of "incitement to subvert state power."
"This is a case that we've been following closely and we have brought it up with the Chinese authorities," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters when about the case.
"It is disturbing, and I would expect that the Chinese government would want to provide some details about this case," McCormack added. "Our embassy in Beijing is following up very closely."
Li Jinsong, Hu's Beijing-based lawyer, told AFP Friday that the Chinese authorities were denying his client legal representation.
He and another rights attorney, Li Fangping, had submitted a formal request to police for access to Hu, but it was turned down on the premise the case involved "state secrets." Li Jinsong said.
Hu's wife and fellow activist Zeng Jinyan has been under house arrest at their Beijing home with their infant child since he was detained.
The lawyers had planned to visit her on Friday to discuss his case but officers prevented them from going, they said.
One of China's most active human rights campaigners, Hu has acted as a clearinghouse of information on rights abuses by the government.
Activists and human rights groups have said his detention -- carried out as Western countries celebrated the Christmas holidays -- was part of a crackdown by Beijing on its critics ahead of the Olympics in August, violating promises it made to win the Games.
The China Human Rights Defenders, a network of domestic and foreign activists, said in a report that many intellectuals and activists had been placed under house arrest or other restrictions in recent weeks and the campaign was expected to intensify as the Games approached.
