China detains advocate of property rights

According to an article in the Washington Post, Chinese police in the northern province of Shaanxi have arrested one of the country's leading property rights activists, Feng Bingxian, who is also involved in a major class action lawsuit against the Chinese government's seizure of oil fields. The case in which Bingxian is involved is one of the largest class-action lawsuits ever filed against the Chinese government and involves around 60,000 people. Chinese police have refused to discuss the charges against Bingxian, and have also arrested others involved in the case. For more information on China's stellar human rights record, please check out the Amnesty International profile of China. Also of interest is the Beijing Olympics Watch put out by Human Rights Watch.


--Tom Hayes