China detains liberal author - sources
2004-12-13

Nations China City Chengdu States Sichuan People Yu Jie Profession Scholars Activists

BEIJING - Chinese authorities have detained liberal author Yu Jie, two sources close to him said on Monday, in what appeared to be part of a government crackdown on intellectuals.

The Communist Party, which has monopolised politics in China since 1949, recently intensified its crackdown, ordering newspapers and magazines not to give publicity to Yu and five other intellectuals critical of the party.

"Yu Jie and his wife were taken away. The reason is unknown," said one source who spoke on condition of anonymity. Calls to Yu's Beijing home went unanswered.

Yu writes novels and political commentaries. The party's propaganda tsars have banned many of his books. His "Refusing Lies" was published in Hong Kong.

Other liberal intellectuals blacklisted include Peking University journalism professor Jiao Guobiao and Chengdu University law lecturer Wang Yi.