Chinese authorities have detained prominent human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, his wife told AFP on Tuesday, the latest dissident to be arrested ahead of Human Rights Day.
"He was taken away yesterday (Monday) evening and he is being held at Beijing's public security bureau," Liu Xia said by phone.
She said she was not told why her husband had been detained, but suspected it was related to Charter 8, which calls for democratic reform in China and has been signed by more than 300 Chinese people, including Liu Xiaobo.
The charter has been published online and its signatories include intellectuals and human rights activists, according to press freedom advocates Reporters Without Borders.
Liu's wife said police had searched their house all night and seized their computer and mobile phones.
Liu is a former philosophy professor and has long campaigned for press freedom and democracy in China.
He was also active in the pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, which ended in a brutal and bloody crackdown by the army.
Liu's arrest comes before the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which falls on Wednesday.
It also comes after at least two other human rights activists in the southwestern province of Guizhou, who were organising a symposium to mark the anniversary, were detained on Thursday.
Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned the arrests in a statement.
"One might have hoped that China would have released dissidents, such as Hu Jia, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but on the contrary they go for a wave of arrests and threats.
"It's appalling.
"We call for their release and salute the courage of Chinese human rights defenders who have just launched Charter 8."
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