Li Jinping Detained Twice for Attempting to Commemorate Zhao Ziyang's Death

January 30, 2006

Authorities in Beijing detained Li Jinping on January 8 and also placed dozens of people who were were planning to gather at his home under house arrest, according to January 9 reports from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. Reuters had reported on January 3 that Li planned to hold a private ceremony on January 9 at his home to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of former Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang.

Authorities in Beijing detained Li Jinping on January 8 and also placed dozens of people who were were planning to gather at his home under house arrest, according to January 9 reports from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. Reuters had reported on January 3 that Li planned to hold a private ceremony on January 9 at his home to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of former Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. The Communist Party purged Zhao in 1989 after he opposed the decision to use force to quell the Tiananmen Square democracy protests. Li was one of several people that Chinese authorities detained in the wake of Zhao's death in January 2005. Chinese authorities used technical blocks and political pressure to censor news reports on Zhao's passing.

Authorities released Li on January 10, but detained him again on January 13, according to reports from Radio Free Asia (in Chinese) and the Epoch Times on January 16 and 17, respectively. Authorities released him on January 20, but had posted police outside his home, according to a January 24 Epoch Times report (in Chinese).