Journalist Zhao Yan, who has also been an outspoken advocate for peasants, was arrested in Shanghai, according to a report in the South China Morning Post (sub required): “[Zhao’s] associates found it difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for his detention – ‘He has written so many articles that have upset the authorities,’ one said – but they hoped the new leadership would continue to operate in an open and sympathetic way… Zhao, a journalist known for his exposes on abuses of farmers, was taken away by secret police in Shanghai late on Sunday night, according to his associates… He quit his job as a reporter with China Reform magazine’s rural edition four months ago after years of skirmishes with authorities.”
Human rights groups had reported earlier this summer that Zhao was harassed by authorities for his writing which supported farmers’ rights.
Zhao’s arrest follows the closure of the Strategy and Management magazine and the popular online forum Yitahutu.
