Artist held

Chinese authorities detained the renowned artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei in Beijing's main airport Sunday as he tried to board a plane to Hong Kong. The arrest comes just days after Ai had announced plans to open a studio in Berlin.

Authorities also raided Ai's studio in the Caochangdi district of Beijing, detaining eight employees for questioning, according to Twitter postings by co-workers.

"We have not been able to contact him at all," one of Ai's assistants told the news agency DPA. "His phone is still turned off."

Ai had announced plans to open a studio in Berlin last week. His decision came after one of his studios in China was demolished in January and the opening of his solo exhibition in a leading Beijing gallery was postponed due to the "political sensitivity" of his work.

"I'm simply at a loss for how I can continue to work here," Ai told the daily Berliner Zeitung last week.

Government crackdown

Ai has come under growing scrutiny by China's Communist government as Beijing enforces one of its toughest crackdowns on regime critics in years.

Previously, Ai had tried to determine how many children died when poorly constructed schools collapsed in the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province, which killed at least 80,000 people.

The government crackdown has occurred amid calls by anonymous organizers to launch rallies inspired by the pro-democracy uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.

The Hong Kong-based China human rights defenders reported on Thursday that more than 200 activists have been placed under house arrest since mid-February.

Author: Spencer Kimball (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler