One More Political Dissident Detained

As of late, Chinese authorities have detained a number of political dissidents, including the likes of lawyers, human rights activists, writers, journalists, and bloggers. Most recently, the widely celebrated artist/documentary filmmaker/architect Ai Weiwei (the same man who designed the Bird’s Nest in the Beijing Olympic Stadium) was arrested while boarding a flight to Hong Kong. The latest in a series of detentions has caused uproar among Ai Weiwei’s fellow peers in the intellectual community as well as many members in the international community. Ever since his arrest, Chinese netizens have launched an internet campaign, posting thousands of messages calling for his release. It has been nearly a month following Ai Weiwei’s detainment but public officials have yet to provide any information about his current whereabouts. It was also not until recently that the Chinese government even explicitly acknowledged that they had in fact, taken the dissident artist into custody. Just this past Thursday, perhaps partly in an effort to dissipate the widespread outrage that has followed, officials have announced that Ai Weiwei has been charged for suspected “economic crimes” – whatever that means. A New York Times journalist makes a note of this point, explaining:

“The catchall term “economic crimes” is frequently used as a legal cover by police officers who wish to detain or imprison someone whom Communist Party officials consider a political threat. Such crimes can include prosaic failures to properly comply with regulations on business registration or taxation. As often happens in China when political troublemakers are involved, the exact crime Mr. Ai is being investigated for may be announced only at a later date, after the police have more time to look into his affairs and decide what crime to accuse him of committing.”

Although this article is not an op-ed piece, the particular language used nonetheless seems to demonstrate incomplete objectivity. However true the last statement made by the NYTimes journalist may be, some may argue that it is imbued with liberal biases characteristic of the Western world. Despite the alleged commitment to neutrality, the tone of this article, at least to me, conveyed a sense exasperation with Chinese authorities.