The Public Security Bureau of Xifeng County, Liaoning Province, initiated a criminal investigation of a reporter from The Legal Daily for her “negative” report published on January 1, 2008, about the Party Secretary of the County. On January 4, 2008, the Xifeng police were dispatched to Beijing with a warrant for her arrest.
Zhu Wenna, a seasoned reporter of The Legal Daily, was advised by her employer on the afternoon of January 4, 2008, to go into hiding because 4 policemen from Xifeng County were looking for her. The police left Beijing on January 6, 2008, without Zhu Wenna.
Members of the media were appalled at the government’s bully tactics to silence the voices against local government and Party officials’ corruption and abuse of power.
The Legal Daily is a state-owned newspaper under the supervision of the China’s Ministry of Justice. The Legal Daily is the “mouthpiece of the Party” on political and legal developments, as its website states.
Source: Xinhua, January 8, 2008.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2008-01/08/content_7382566.htm