Detained feminist activists in China spark worldwide support, new questions - The Seattle Globalist

2.4.15

Detained feminist activists in China spark worldwide support, new questions - The Seattle Globalist: Of those arrested, five remain behind walls at Beijing police headquarters: Li Tingting, 25;�Wei Tingting, 27; Wang Man, 32; Zheng Churan, 25; and Wu Rongrong, 30. The activists, who were planning to distribute stickers and posters on IWD, were reportedly arrested for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”�Wang and Wu have both been hospitalized, Wang for a heart attack triggered by prolonged interrogation, and Wu, for chronic liver pain exacerbated in detainment without medication.

But why�crack down on�these women, and why now? Was this a clampdown on feminists in particular, or on all forms of activism and�NGO work by the Xi Jinping regime? Was this an attempt by the police to meet arrest quotas, or was it part of a deeper probe?�Last week, police allegedly raided Beijing offices of Yirenping, a public health NGO that all five women detained were associated with.�