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Alert

Poet and journalist Shi Tao arrested

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the arrest of journalist Shi Tao and urged the European Union (EU) delegation to the 8 December 2004 EU-China Summit in the Netherlands to press Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to stop arbitrary arrests of journalists.

The organisation also called on Chinese authorities to release Shi, who was arrested at his home in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, northeastern China, on 24 November for "disclosing confidential government information". This latest arrest only adds to the relentless pressure suffered by journalists in China, RSF said.

National security bureau police from Changsha, in the south, arrived at Shi's home without official authorisation, arrested him and seized his computer and some personal files. Before taking him away, they told his wife, Wang Huan, not to tell anyone about the arrest and especially not the media, or her husband would be mistreated.

The 36-year-old poet and journalist worked until last May for the daily "Dangdai Shang Bao" ("Contemporary Trade News"). He was also a contributor to several newspapers and has written a number of articles for online forums, particularly Min Zhu Lun Tan (Democracy Forum).

In a letter to his family, Shi said that he had been transferred to Changsha and reassured them that he was well. His brother, Shi Hua, told RSF, however, that his family was very worried. They had only received a "detention letter" instead of a "detention certificate", as the law demands, and were not allowed to visit him. They did not know what the real reasons for his imprisonment were.

RSF notes that 25 journalists and 62 cyber-dissidents are currently imprisoned in China.