The outspoken Chinese political analyst and journalist Gao Yu has been detained by Beijing police in a criminal investigation over charges of leaking state secrets abroad, weeks before the 25th anniversary of the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square democracy movement.

Gao, 70, shared a secret document with editors of a foreign website in August 2013, the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday 8 May, 2014. Gao was “deeply remorseful” of her actions and “willing to accept legal punishment”, the report said, ending speculation over her whereabouts two weeks after she disappeared.