Chinese human rights lawyer released

A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, Teng Biao, was released today after being dragged into a black car with no license plates in front of his home on Thursday night. The Chinese secret service is believed to have kidnapped Mr Teng. It is a well-known and frequently used method in China. Teng was driven back to his apartment in Beijing at around 1:40 pm, his wife told Deutsche Presse-Agentur by telephone. Click here to read the news story from The Guardian.

Amnesty International saw a possible connection between the disappearance of Teng Biao and charges that have been brought against the human rights and HIV/AIDS activist Hu Jia.

Human rights organizations accuse Beijing of attempting to crack down on dissent in the days leading up to the Olympic Games, which starts in August. Teng Biao and Hu Jia criticized human rights violations in an essay entitled, “The real China and the Olympic Games 2008.”

Here is a press release from Human Rights in China with helpful links.