Chinese Activist Ai Weiwei Remains in Detention

Chinese authorities held Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most famous artists, for a second day Monday, raising fears among his supporters that he could be charged with subversion or detained indefinitely in extra-judicial custody as dozens of other activists have been over a six-week crackdown on dissent.

Mr. Ai, an outspoken critic of the government who has more than 70,000 followers on Twitter, has been out of contact since Chinese officials prevented him from boarding a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong on Sunday morning and then led him away, according to several of his friends and assistants.

Once seen by the Chinese government as a cultural ambassador, he helped to design the Bird’s Nest stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but then boycotted the opening ceremony. He has since become increasingly politically active, prompting frequent confrontations with Chinese authorities, who demolished his studio in Shanghai in January. Police also took in Mr. Ai’s wife, Lu Qing, and eight of his assistants for questioning Sunday after raiding his studio in Beijing and cutting off its power supply.

Bloomberg Voices: An Interview With Ai Wei Wei

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