JayAtl
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A group of leading intellectuals, authors and businesspeople has demanded the release of a jailed Chinese billionaire, accusing Beijing of waging a "hopeless" campaign of political persecution against its critics.
Wang Gongquan, a venture capitalist who supports a recently formed civil society group called the New Citizens Movement, was formally arrested by Beijing police on Sunday, having been initially detained on September 13.
Mr Wang, who is close to Xu Zhiyong, the movements jailed founder, has been accused of gathering crowds to disturb public order.
However, supporters say the charge has been trumped up and believe Mr Wang is the latest victim of a renewed crackdown on government critics that has gained pace this year under Chinas new president Xi Jinping.
Several dozen supporters of the New Citizens Movement are currently being detained, activists say, with at least three of them likely to face trial in the coming weeks.
China arrests billionaire activist - Telegraph