China faces fresh outrage as it confirms it is holding missing booksellers

Three Hong Kong booksellers who went missing last year are being held in China, police have confirmed for the first time. Lui Por, Cheung Chi-ping and Lam Wing-kee are in custody suspected of “illegal activities”, the Interpol Guangdong Liaison Office has stated in a letter. They were also “suspected to be involved in a case” relating to another bookseller Gui Minhai, who made a tearful TV appearance in China last month, the letter to Hong Kong police added. Also enclosed was a letter from a fifth missing bookseller, Lee Bo, who says Chinese authorities wanted to meet him on the mainland.

Criminal compulsory measures were imposed on them and they were under investigation

Chinese Interpol office

The revelation will intensify the row over the men’s detention as at least some of them are thought to have been detained in Hong Kong, where Chinese police have no jurisdiction. Supporters of the booksellers believe they were targeted over a new book they were about to publish on the love life of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. On Friday, the author of the book, Chinese writer Xi Nuo, based in the US, urged China to release the men. "They are not responsible for this. I’m responsible for this. I want to… tell the Chinese government: let the five guys go home,“ he told the BBC.

The Chinese authorities need to end their smoke and mirrors strategy and come clean with a full and proper explanation

Amnesty International’s William Nee

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