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Chinese police confirm they detained rights activist, says lawyer

Jiang Tianyong tried to use other people’s identification to buy train tickets, attorney Qin Chenshou quotes police as saying

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Human rights activist Jiang Tianyong speaks to journalists in May 2012 after his failed attempt to see blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng. Chinese police have confirmed they detained Jiang, his lawyer said, but it was unclear where he was. Photo: AP

Chinese police detained a prominent ­human rights campaigner for ­allegedly trying to buy train tickets using other people’s identification cards, his lawyer said ­on Thursday.

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Jiang Tianyong’s family also said they last heard from him on ­November 21 when the activist was in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province.

He left Beijing, possibly to visit his friend Xie Yang, who had been arrested in a crackdown on rights lawyers and activists that began in July last year, Jiang’s lawyer Qin Chenshou said.

United Nations special rapporteur on human rights Philip Alston said last week he was concerned that Jiang’s disappearance was a “reprisal” for a meeting they held in August. The US State Department has also pressed for information about Jiang’s whereabouts.

Jiang Tianyong talks about his experience in jail in Beijing in August 2011. Photo: Simon Song
Jiang Tianyong talks about his experience in jail in Beijing in August 2011. Photo: Simon Song
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Qin said police in Changsha told him on Wednesday that Jiang was put under administrative detention for nine days, beginning November 22.

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