Chinese Government Detained Artist Ai Wei Wei for ‘Economic Crimes’

The Takeaway

One of China’s most famous artists, Ai Wei Wei was detained Sunday. The artists is an outspoken critic of the Chinese government and many suspect that his detention is part of the government’s crackdown on dissent. He is now being investigated for economic crimes according to a government spokesman. The BBC’s Beijing correspondent Martin Patience spoke to Wei Wei’s wife yesterday who said she hasn’t heard from her husband. “I don’t know whether to believe the information I received. I don’t know what the situation is, the authorities haven’t given me an explanation.”

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