The Guardian reports on the recent arrest of Chen Min, aka Xiao Shu, editor of China Reform magazine, who arrested this week. He has been released, according to Boxun news and AFP: “‘I am back in the office,’ Mr Chen, 43, told AFP, but refused to elaborate on why he had been interrogated or where he had been taken… Using the pen name Xiao Shu, or Smiling Sichuanese, Mr Chen, a native of southwest China’s Sichuan province, has written numerous commentaries voicing liberal views which could still be seen on Chinese websites on Tuesday. In one such commentary, Mr Chen criticised the government for a lack of concern for human lives after a natural gas explosion last December which killed 243 people in southwest Chongqing municipality. ” The AFP story is here, via SCMP (sub required). Some of Chen’s writings are available here via Boxun.
Zhao Yan, the journalist working for the Beijing bureau of the New York Times, who was arrested on suspicion of “revealing state secrets,” also previously worked for China Reform (中国改革) magazine. The Guardian article also provides a brief list of all the journalists/intellectuals who have been arrested in this latest crackdown. The full report is here.
