Lawyer: Detained Chinese activist can't get legal help because case involves state secrets

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have barred attorneys from visiting an AIDS activist detained on a subversion charge and have placed his wife under house arrest, his lawyer said Monday.

The case against Hu Jia, who has played a prominent role in helping other dissidents in China, comes eight months before the start of the Beijing Olympics.

Chinese leaders had promised International Olympic Committee members that the games would lead to an improved climate for human rights, but crackdowns and harassment have continued against those who criticize the government and its policies.

Hu was taken from his home in Beijing on Dec. 27 and charged with "subverting state power," a vague accusation that has been used against other activists. The specific nature of the allegation was not known but lawyer Li Fangping said he was barred from visiting Hu because the case involved state secrets.

Li said he hoped to visit Hu in a month, when he thought the police investigation might be complete. He said he did not know how Hu was being treated in detention because he was unable to contact his client.

Meanwhile, Hu's wife has been placed under house arrest, Li said. Zeng Jinyan, who is also an AIDS activist, was barred from using the telephone or Internet, and could not leave home or accept any visitors except her in-laws, the attorney said. Zeng recently gave birth to the couple's first child.

Calls to their home rang unanswered and their cell phones had been switched off. Zeng's blog has not been updated since Dec. 23.

An open letter signed by 57 people, mostly activists and writers, called Hu's detention "unacceptable" and demanded that he be released immediately.

"The international community and the Chinese people are paying close attention to China's human rights situation, particularly whether the Chinese government can fulfill its promises from when it was bidding for the games," said the letter, posted on the Internet.

Phones rang unanswered Monday in the media office of the Beijing Public Security Bureau. A woman who answered the phone at the detention center where Hu was being held refused to give any information, saying she was not authorized to speak to the media.