Chinese authorities have arrested 16 people in conjunction with an anonymous letter that was published online demanding President Xi Jinping’s resignation. Alongside senior editors, journalists and technicians, family members of high profile writers suspected of involvement have also been imprisoned.
Chang Ping, a Chinese journalist living in Germany, recently learnt of the abductions of his two younger brothers and sister from their home in Chengdu. As well as denying involvement in the letter, Chang Ping stated: “My family in China have no understanding of my political beliefs… they will be unable to meet the unreasonable demands of the police.”
Wen Yunchao, an exiled Chinese activist, told the New York Times that despite also having nothing to do with the publication, his parents and younger brother have been missing since Tuesday.
The letter was posted on the state-run website Wujie News on March 4 and was taken down almost immediately, but not before going viral when it was picked up and disseminated by the Washington Post .
It includes a point-by-point criticism of Xi’s policies, signed by “Loyal Communist Party Members.” He is accused of causing “political, economic, ideological, and cultural” crises and attempting to create a cult of personality, similar to Mao Zedong. The tone is mildly threatening, mentioning the risk to his own “personal safety and that of (his) family,” if he doesn’t step down.
The letter seems to be a backlash against the many high-profile visits made to media posts by Xi last month in which he declared that all publications must give the “correct guidance of public opinion,” proclaiming official party lines and “transmitting positive energy.”
Many writers took to the internet to express their indignation but every outburst has been censored. Ren Zhiqiang, a celebrity of Chinese social media site Weibo, had his account shut down after criticising Xi’s disregard for free speech. Later, the South China Morning Post also had its blogs removed and its website blocked.
President Xi has been admired by many ordinary citizens for advancing the “Chinese Dream” and a vision of a united nation, but using his power to tackle corruption has snowballed into penalising anyone who questions party politics. The country is going in a “frightening, reactionary [and] ideologically driven direction,” Chinese student Jasmine Yin wrote in The Australian newspaper.
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