On April 19, the head of self-media operation Hubei New Viewpoint Network Lu Hua was reportedly arrested by the Huanggang Public Security Bureau’s digital security division in China’s central Hubei province. Reports of his detention emerged following an investigation from a human rights advocacy publication. Lu serves as the sole legal representative for Hubei New Viewpoint Network’s affiliate parent company, Hubei New Viewpoint Culture Media Co. Ltd.
According to the state-owned Hubei Daily, the security bureau began its investigation into the outlet on April 14 on four charges, the alleged extortion of advertisers through inflated rates, coercion, exposure of false information and rumors, and the notoriously ill-defined ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’. Lu and another individual were arrested on extortion charges on April 19, with police later leveling coercion and rumor-spreading charges against the self-media operator.
Following his arrest, Lu’s bank accounts were frozen and his equipment seized. The Hubei Daily reported that Lu’s case has been transferred to court from May 26, however have failed to provide an update on the self-media operator’s case.
Lu had published a number of investigative reports prior to his arrest, including a widely circulated analysis of a local official using public funds to construct a luxury private room in a government office building in the province’s east in April. No articles have been published on the platform since April 18, with the report since removed.
Independent or critical media operations are subject to frequent crackdowns, with those involved facing arrest and detention. Fellow Hubei self-media operator Shangguan Yunkai was arrested in April for allegedly selling counterfeit medicine after he advertised a skin cream produced in Taiwan on his blog. He has also been known to report on local developments, including reports of corruption.
The IFJ said: “Journalists must be allowed to report without fear of arrest, especially for those publishing reports on official corruption. The IFJ urges Hubei authorities to ensure that self-media operations can operate without fear of arrest.”