Liu Feiyue, Minsheng Guancha
Medium:Internet
Charge:No charge
Imprisoned:November 16, 2016

Police detained Liu Feiyue, the editor and founder of the human rights news website Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch, known in China as Minsheng Guancha, on November 16, 2016, according to his website.

On November 24, Minsheng Guancha reported that police in Suizhou city in China's central Hubei province told Liu's family that the journalist had been "criminally detained" and could be sentenced for subversion of state power, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Liu's family had not received written notification of his detention from police, the outlet reported

As the founder of a human rights news website, Liu has been a target of past police harassment and surveillance, and during politically sensitive events he has been detained or placed under house arrest, according to news reports. It was unclear if recent reports on the site led to his arrest. Liu was held briefly in October 2016 ahead of a gathering of the Chinese Communist Party Congress, according to reports. Authorities in China often detain writers and dissidents during national events or anniversaries such as of the Tiananmen Square protests to prevent them disrupting the events or speaking to the media.

Minsheng Guanchawas founded in 2006 and, according to its website, focuses "on the lives of the underclass." It reports on issues that state-controlled media outlets in China are often prohibited from covering, such as political protests, detentions of activists and writers, police abuse, and other human rights violations. The website has been blocked in China since soon after its inception, according to the writer Wu Yangwei, better known as Ye Du, a contributor to Minsheng Guancha and a friend of Liu's.

CPJ was unable to determine in late 2016 at which prison Liu is being held.

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