4 protesters against China's COVID policy released on bail
An activist says officials in Beijing have released four women on bail who were arrested for joining rare nationwide protests in late November against China’s tough anti-coronavirus policy TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Officials in Beijing have released four women on bail who were arrested for joining rare nationwide protests in late November against China's tough anti-coronavirus policies, an activist said. One of the women, former book editor Cao Zhixin, had recorded a video before her detention saying, “If you're watching this, it means that I have been taken away by the police.” She and her friends Li Yuanjing, Zhai Dengrui and Li Siqi were detained in Beijing in December and accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vague charge often used against dissidents, according to Human Rights Watch. All four were released Thursday on bail, according to a Chinese activist who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of government reprisals. Cao and a group of friends had join...