Dissident Wang Lixiong Banned from Leaving China
Chinese authorities have barred dissident writer and activist Wang Lixiong from leaving the country on grounds that his exit would “damage national security.”
The 62-year-old was stopped from boarding a plane at Beigjing’s Capital International Airport on Saturday.
He confirmed his detention on Tuesday to Radio Free Asia but declined to elaborate on the matter as he said he had promised to not talk to the press.
Wang had been on his way to Japan to promote the Japanese-language edition of his 1991 book “Yellow Peril.” The book, which is banned in China along with his nine other books, tells the story of a China under collapse as it struggles with economic, cultural and political turmoil.
Wang also openly writes about the Chinese government’s repression in the Uyghur and Xinjiang regions. In 1999, he was arrested and held for 42 days after he led research for an article about the ruling Communist Party’s policies in Xinjiang.
He also covers Tibetan issues including the massive loss of Tibetan culture and identity during Beijing’s state-sponsored Cultural Revolution.
Wang also detailed the mass killings of Tibetan rebels in 1950 during a recent broadcast on RFA’s Mandarin service.
In July 2014, he was placed under house arrest along with his wife Tsering Woeser, who had her passport license rejected.
Travel ban citations have been on the rise in China recently, according to activist Hu Jia.
Since a crackdown on professions emerged in July, dozens of human rights lawyers have been handed travel bans. The same has been done for their families including teenagers seeking permission to study abroad..
Be the first to comment