Prominent Chinese activist Xu Zhiyong, a former law lecturer and founder of the social campaign New Citizens Movement, has been detained on a state security charge that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail for criticising President Xi Jinping’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. He was taken away by police on 15 February. Security authorities told Xu Zhiyong's family that he had been placed in “residential surveillance at a designated location” – a form of solitary detention that can last up to six months in an unknown location. Xu Zhiyong's girlfriend, Li Qiaochu, is also being held in secret detention on the same charge.

(Comment: Xu Zhiyong had come to notice most recently for publishing an article on social media on February 3, in which he urged Xi Jinping to step down for his “inability to handle major crises”.)