Tsinghua University law professor Xu Zhangrun, one of the most prominent critics within China of the leadership of Xi Jinping, has been detained in Beijing. Two other critics, Peking University legal scholar Xu Zhiyong and property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang, have been missing for months.
Every five years, millions of Chinese citizens vote in local elections for “People’s Congresses,” the government’s experiment with grassroots democracy. But the elections are not free and fair, as candidates not registered as Communist Party members often face police harassment or forcible blocking from authorities. “Some people think I am a troublemaker… But I am not afraid. I have the right to participate in this election. I didn’t do anything illegal,” said a woman who tried — unsuccessfully — to put her name forward as an independent candidate for one of the 2.5 million seats available.