Two Investigative Journalists Detained in China After Exposing Corruption Allegations

Beijing. Rights groups and activists have expressed serious concern over the detention of two investigative journalists in China after they published reports on corruption. According to rights groups, journalists Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao were taken into police custody on Sunday after exposing the alleged corruption of a senior official in Sichuan province.

China has long been criticized for suppressing freedom of expression and the media. Chinese authorities often arrest and prosecute journalists on charges of 'inciting unrest.' Chengdu police stated in a statement on Monday that the two individuals, 50-year-old Liu and 34-year-old Wu, are being investigated for fabricating accusations and illegal business activities. The Chinese government has not formally responded to the criticism from rights groups.

Liu Hu is a well-known investigative journalist in China. In 2013, he was arrested on suspicion of defamation after accusing a senior official of corruption. After his release in 2014, he continued to publish investigative reports through social media. Wu Yingjiao often collaborates with Liu. They used to publish news articles through a public account run on WeChat.

According to Chinese human rights groups, Liu went incommunicado on Sunday while traveling from Chongqing to Beijing. On the same day, Wu was reportedly taken into custody by police in Hebei province. Rights groups claim that a report they recently published alleged that businesses were ruined due to a county official. 

That report has now been removed from WeChat. Reporters Without Borders stated that before his arrest, Liu had posted messages on WeChat indicating that the discipline inspection official in Chengdu had pressured him not to publish the report. pressure was applied.