Shenzhen
(AsiaNews) - A group of police officers in plain clothes last night raided at a
restaurant in Shenzhen where 20 dissidents were celebrating the 40th birthday
of activist Hu Jia. Without
a warrant and without presenting any kind of accusation, the police
interrogated them first and then took them away. This
is confirmed by one of those present, Teng Biao, speaking to the South China
Morning Post.
According
to Teng, officers questioned him about the details of the dinner. Hu
Jia, whose birthday was being celebrated, is one of the leading figures among
Chinese dissidents and on several occasions has been a "bridge"
between democracy activists and the international community. Teng
said that the officers "were very nervous, they asked me if we were
talking about Xu Zhiyong and his recent arrest. After two and a half hours they
released me."
Xu,
professor of law at Beijing University, at the beginning of June asked the
Communist leadership to publish their assests (in line with the statements made
by former President Hu Jintao even). For
this reason, a
week ago he was arrested for "violence." Teng
Biao is currently his lawyer, who has already filed an appeal against the
absurd charges brought against his client.
According
to Teng, this latest raid against democracy activists shows that the situation
is getting worse: "The arrests and repression will become harder and
harder. Ordinary people, China's population does not live with a sense of
security and social conflicts are becoming harsher . The situation is not
easy to solve. "