Chinese reporter held on obtaining state secrets charges

In a tale combining kung fu, the supernatural and high-profile charlatanry, one of China’s top investigative journalists has been held on accusations of corruption and obtaining state secrets in a case related to a disgraced martial arts teacher and a former minister of state.

Liu Wei, a journalist for the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper, one of China's edgier newspapers, wrote a series of articles outlining the murky links between Wang Lin; a master of qigong, a traditional Chinese practice combining meditation, martial arts and philosophy; and a number of leading celebrities and Communist Party cadres.

Mr Wang claimed to have supernatural powers and had some very powerful admirers, including Jack Ma, the head of the ecommerce giant Alibaba, and his close friend and confidant, the martial arts actor Jet Li.

Others who fell for Mr Wang’s magic include the former Chinese railways minister Liu Zhijun, who was ousted in a corruption scandal in 2013. Mr Wang reportedly gave Mr Liu a rock imbued with protective powers.

The official Xinhua news agency reported that Mr Wang posted images online in 2013 of his supernatural powers, including the ability to conjure snakes from thin air, as well as photographs of himself with celebrities.

Spurious spiritual masters are common in Chinese business, with quacks claiming mysterious powers popping up regularly in corruption and fraud cases.

Mr Wang has also been investigated for firearms possession, practising medicine without a license, and numerous corruption charges.

His case took on national notoriety after his former disciple Zou Yong was kidnapped and murdered in July 2013. Mr Zou claimed he paid Mr Wang five million yuan (€690,000) to become an acolyte, and that they had a bitter legal row before Mr Zou’s death.

Jiangxi police arrested Mr Wang in July in connection with Mr Zou’s kidnap and murder. He and another suspect were charged with illegal detention, while the other two were charged with intentional homicide.

Ex-wife

Much of the source material for Mr Liu’s reports seems to have come from documents given to him by Mr Wang’s ex-wife and his former mistress, who along with a police officer surnamed Zhong, is also being held on suspicion of illegally obtaining state secrets. It is not clear if the two women are being detained.

The Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily has had repeated clashes with local and national propaganda chiefs.

Mr Liu won his newspaper’s “Journalist of the Year” award for his reporting on Mr Wang in 2014.

Deputy director of the paper, Mr Liu was placed under criminal detention on October 9th by Jiangxi’s Pingxiang municipal police department. He disappeared at Chengdu airport and according to a police notice, he is being held at the Jinxian County Detention Centre in Nanchang city.

Last month, the paper ran a black page as an advertisement on the International Day of Democracy, which was widely seen as a protest to the absence of democracy in China.

News of Mr Liu’s arrest comes as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom in China.

There were seven reported cases of fake reporters extorting money under the guise of exposing negative news, according to a report published by the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications as part of a nationwide campaign.

In a statement, the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for Mr Liu’s immediate release.

“China is criminalising basic reporting. The government’s interpretation of state secrets has grown so broad that it now encompasses routine criminal justice matters,” said the committee’s executive director Joel Simon.

“Liu Wei must be released and all criminal allegations against him dropped immediately.”

China led the world in imprisoning journalists in 2014, with a total of 29 behind bars, according to Reporters Without Borders.

In the organisation’s annual press index, China ranks 175th in the world, just fifth from bottom.