Rights body urges China to release anti-graft activists

China should release the anti-corruption activists arrested earlier this week in Beijing, an international human rights body said on Thursday.

China should release the anti-corruption activists arrested earlier this week in Beijing, an international human rights body said on Thursday.
Four persons, Hou Xin, Yuan Dong, Zhang Baocheng and Ma Xinli, were picked up by the police on Sunday while staging a demonstration against rampant corruption among government officials.

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The country’s new dispensation, led by Communist party chief and President, Xi Jinping, have repeatedly talked about tackling corruption in government and within the party.

Soon over taking over as Party general secretary, Xi had warned that corruption, if left unchecked, will lead to the "the collapse of the party and the downfall of the state." He had promised to target both "tigers and flies" – powerful leaders as well as those lower down in the hierarchy – in the anti-corruption drive.

But clearly as found out by the four activists, the government doesn’t want any public protests on the issue.

Public opinion, especially among those active on China’s social media platform, is also growing stronger for a law that would compulsorily require officials to divulge the worth of their assets.