China Cracks Down on Critics Ahead of Tiananmen Anniversary | WPN World People News

China is detaining more government critics and warning journalists from reporting on "sensitive topics" ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Dozens of activists have been detained or placed under house arrest in the lead-up to the June 3-4 anniversary of Beijing's violent suppression of pro-democracy protests.

The latest to be held is Chinese-born Australian artist Guo Jian, who was taken away by police Sunday night, just after the Financial Times published an interview with him.

China does not allow public discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, in which hundreds, possibly even thousands, of protesters were killed by Chinese soldiers.

Security was tighter than usual in Beijing on Tuesday, with expanded police patrols and security checkpoints throughout the city.

It has become an annual tradition for Beijing to round up activists ahead of the sensitive anniversary, but Amnesty International says the current wave of detentions is harsher than in recent years.

In a statement, Amnesty said those detained in what it called Beijing's "merciless campaign of repression" must be immediately released.

There are also complaints about what foreign journalists say is a campaign of harassment and intimidation to deter overseas media reporting on the anniversary.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China says some journalists were warned by police their press cards and visas would be canceled if they did not stop their reporting.

One French broadcaster reported its journalists were forced to confess on camera that they did something "very sensitive" which could "cause a disturbance."

Source: Voice of America