Wu Dongqiang, a county education director, was arrested after texting anonymous reports on his superior’s questionable ethics. Caixin reports on his story, and the politics of whistleblowing in China:

Wu Dongqiang wanted to do the right thing when he sent text messages alerting fellow Xia County government officials to what he saw as unprofessional and possibly corrupt behavior by a superior.

Little did he know that his mobile phone traffic was later traced and monitored by a public security bureau, leading to a police raid and his arrest, and jeopardizing his position as director of the county education bureau.

Whistleblowing, Wu learned, can be dangerous. Chinese law technically protects anyone who raises a red flag about alleged wrongdoing at a government agency. But following the letter of the law may be optional for bureaucrats in some communities.