On Human Rights Day, China placed lawyers, activists under house arrest

Chinese authorities targeted dissidents, rights lawyers and activists and their families by putting them under house arrest, round-the-clock surveillance and restrictions on their children's school attendance on Human Rights Day, a media report said.

Rights activist Li Wenzu and rights lawyer husband Wang Quanzhang said that they were placed under house arrest on December 9, with unidentified security guards refusing to let them leave to take their child to school, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Li had asked the people stopping them from leaving to identify themselves, but she did not get a clear answer.

"Would you please show your ID? In what capacity are you here right now?" Li is heard saying in a video clip posted to her Twitter account.

Other similar incidents were also reported. Activist Xu Yan and her rights lawyer husband Yu Wensheng said that around nine people were outside the door of their apartment at 6.00 am on Thursday, and they were unable to get out at all, reported Radio Free Asia.

"Would you please show your ID? In what capacity are you here right now?" Li is heard asking one guard in another clip. "Is this really necessary?" comes the reply. "It's not as if we've only just met."

Fellow activist Xu Yan and her rights lawyer husband Yu Wensheng said around nine people were outside the door of their apartment at 6.00 a.m. on Thursday, and they were unable to get out at all.

"They were not letting me open the door. They pushed back pretty hard a couple of times, and my ribs are still hurting " Xu told RFA.

The incidents were reported when US President Joe Biden hosted Summit for Democracy, stressing that democracies could unite to resist authoritarian rule.

( With inputs from ANI )