Authorities in China have detained a professor Xu Zhangrun who criticized the way the country has handled the coronavirus crisis.
According to BBC, some friends disclosed that, Zhangrun was taken away from his Beijing home on Monday, after being under house arrest.
On the issue that warranted his arrest, the law professor has previously spoken out against the way China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, has handled what has been termed as the Mao-like cult of personality which has returned in the leader’s regime.
Meanwhile, Police have not commented publicly on the arrest, and it is unclear what charges Mr Xu faces.
Speaking to news agency AFP the friend disclosed that Mr Xu’s wife had received a call telling her he was accused of soliciting prostitution while in the city of Chengdu with other liberal academics. The friend dismissed the allegation as “ridiculous”.
Concerning freedom of expression in China, those who speak out against authorities are risking arrest and jail sentences because it is tightly controlled in China.
