Lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan, who has defended artist Ai Weiwei in the past and said he would defend him in his current case, disappeared in Beijing last week. He has since resurfaced, but is not providing any details about where he was or what happened to him. From the Guardian:
Liu Xiaoyuan tweeted to say he was back in Beijing and told the Guardian he was fine but did not want to give any more details of what had happened.
Before his disappearance Liu said he would be willing to act for Ai, whom he had defended before.
His disappearance came amid a wider crackdown that has seen dozens of lawyers, activists and dissidents detained, arrested or simply gone missing.
The Chinese Human Rights Defenders network also reported that another high-profile lawyer who had been missing for two months had returned home on Tuesday. It quoted Jiang Tianyong’s wife as saying he had just come home and that it was not convenient to talk, but that they were grateful for everyone’s concern. The Guardian was unable to confirm his return independently.
Human rights campaigners have been deeply concerned about several prominent lawyers who have vanished since February. Some of those, including Teng Biao, Li Tiantian and Liu Shihui, are still unaccounted for. Others are thought to have had their movements restricted.
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