京公诉字(2013)99号

犯罪嫌疑人许志永，男，汉族，1973年3月2日生，北京市人，法学博士，群众，北京邮电大学人文学院讲师，身份证号：620102197303025316，户籍所在地：北京市海淀区清河清源东里4号楼1104室，现住址：北京市海淀区清河清源东里4号楼1104室，犯罪嫌疑人许志永于2013年7月16日因涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪被刑事拘留，2013年8月22日因涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪被依法逮捕，现被羁押在北京市第三看守所。

犯罪嫌疑人许志永涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序案，系我局在办理2013年3月31日侯欣、袁冬、马新立、张宝成等人涉嫌非法集会一案中，通过对多名在押犯罪嫌疑人审查发现，许志永系一系列聚众扰序行为的幕后指使者，故我局于2013年7月16日将犯罪嫌疑人许志永唤至公安机关接受审查，现已侦查终结。

经依法侦查查明：

（一）2009年底至2010年初，许志永受王功权指使设立了教育平权项目后，许志永、王功权等人组成决策委员会多次开会研究如何推动该项目。后许志永利用个人影响力多次参与非京籍家长群体聚会，并通过聚会商议、网上勾连、印制宣传材料、当街散发宣传材料、发表微博、文章等形式，多次煽动非京籍家长群体赴教育部门聚会，向政府部门施压。此外，许志永还责成林峰专门负责教育平权捐款账户的记账管理并支付林峰工资，找到非京籍家长群体代表孟凡玲负责学生家长联络、报销车马费、签名费并支付孟凡玲工资。在许志永等人的组织、策划、煽动下，发生了包括“7.5、2.28”在内的多次非京籍家长到教育部们聚集滋事案件，其中：

1. 2012年7月，许志永经与学生家长聚会密谋，并多次发布微博煽动非京籍家长群体于前往教育部请愿。在许志永的组织、策划、煽动下，2012年7月5日，有百余名学生家长赴教育部聚众滋事，期间歪曲我国教育政策，辱骂教育部们官员，且不服从公安民警管理，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序。

2. 2013年1月25日，许志永、王功权、丁家喜等人在上岛咖啡聚会，商定鼓动非京籍家长群体于2月28日到北京市教委聚集造势、施加压力。后许志永、王功权等人分别通过发布微博、群发短信、制作散发传单、名片等方式进行煽动，在许志永、王功权、丁家喜煽动下，2013年2月28日，百余名学生家长前往北京市教委聚众滋事，且不服从公安民警管理，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序。

（二）2012年9月11日，许志永伙同丁家喜、赵常青等人聚会，商议开展“财产公示”活动, 后许志永、丁家喜、赵常青、李蔚、王永红、孙含会等人又多次聚会密谋，继续商讨开展“财产公示”活动具体细节，期间上述人员为不断[2] 扩大活动影响，达成要上街散发传单、张打横幅的共同决议，又经商议后统一出资制作了传单、横幅等物品，并分发给相关涉案人员，使该活动从“在互联网上征集签名”遂步升级到“上街张打横幅”等非法活动。在许志永、丁家喜、赵常青、李蔚等人的组织、策划、煽动、带领下，自2013年1月以来，我市发生包括“1.27、2.23、2.24、3.09、3.31”在内的，多姿由多人实施的在“朝阳公园、清华大学、中关村广场、西单广场”等公共场所，张打横幅、散发传单、造谣讲等扰乱公共场所秩序行为。

1. 2013年1月中下旬，许志永、丁家喜、赵常青、李蔚、孙含会、王永红等人在上岛咖啡聚会，决定1月27日到朝阳公园南门张打横幅，由王永红来具体组织活动，孙含会邀请记者到现场围观。后李刚、袁冬、王永红等人在西单商场下肯德基聚会，商定1月27 日到朝阳公园南门张打横幅具体情况并到现场查看地形。2013年1月27日，李刚、袁冬等人在徜徉公园南门附近张打由许志永等人先期制作并发放的横幅，引发大量群体围观，在我局民警上前阻止时，袁冬以逃跑方式阻碍民警执法，并在跑开后再次回到朝阳公园南门张打横幅，且与民警争抢横幅，抗拒民警执法，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序。上述人员被民警教育劝离后，李刚又驾车带袁冬前往清华大学西门继续张打横幅，再次引发大量群众围观，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序。事后相关涉案人员将上述过程中拍摄的照片上传互联网，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序和互联网公共空间秩序。[3]

2. 2013年2月23日，丁家喜、袁冬、张宝成等人前往中关村e世界广场、海龙大厦等地张打由许志永等人先期制作并发放的横幅，期间袁冬、张宝成等人赤裸上身，在身上书写“要么公开财产，要么下台滚蛋”、“公开国籍”等字样，引发大量群众围观，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序。

3. 2013年2月23日活动结束后，丁家喜等人决定次日继续进行张打横幅非法活动，当日晚丁家喜在同城聚会上继续煽动次日到中关村张打横幅。2月24日，丁家喜、张宝成、袁冬、李刚等人再次前往新中关大厦、北大东门、清华西门等地张打横幅，并向围观群众散发传单数百张。引发大量群众围观，且事后丁家喜将上述过程中拍摄的照片上传互联网，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序和互联网公共空间秩序。

4. 2013年3月9日，马新立、李焕君、张宝成、袁冬等人前往中关村广场及家乐福门前张打由许志永等人先期制作并发放的横幅。袁冬、张宝成等人在张打横幅过程中、言语粗鄙，声称“国家不是共产党的私家花园”、“要求领导人公布财产和子女国籍”并辱骂人大代表，且张打画有“王八”图样的横幅在现场游走，马新立赤裸上身，引发大量群众微观。事后，侯欣、张宝成等人将现场照片上传互联网，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序和互联网公共空间秩序。

5. 2013年3月31日，侯欣、张宝成,袁冬等人经事先商议后，纠集马新立、周晓山、曹尚斌、张然等人前往西单文化广场，张打由许志永等人先期制作并发放的横幅，并在现场持扩音器演讲、散发传单、拍照录像，引发百余人围观，拒不服从民警、保安员劝阻，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序。

认定上述事实的证据如下：

嫌疑人供述、同案供述、证人证言、远程勘验检查笔录、电子物证鉴定、物证、书证、视听资料等。

综上所述，犯罪嫌疑人许志永利用“财产公示”、“教育平权”等话题，组织、策划、实施了一系列在公共场所张打横幅、散发传单，在国家机关门前聚集滋事等违法犯罪活动，期间抗拒、阻碍国家治安管理工作人员依法执行职务，严重扰乱了公共场所秩序，其行为已触犯《中华人民共和国刑法》第291条之规定，涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪。依照《中华人民共和国刑事诉讼法》第一百六十条之规定，现将此案移送审查起诉。

此致

北京市人民检察院第一分院

北京市公安局

2012年12月4日

1. 南方都市报：律师称知名投资人王功权被正式批捕 链接

10月21日，据王功权的代理律师@陈有西：倾接北京市检察机关电话告知，王功权昨日已批准逮捕。家属尚未收到通知，检察院告今天会送达。

2. 德国之声：企业家王功权被正式批捕 链接

中国知名律师陈有西在微博上发出消息称，已经接到北京检察机关电话通知，早前被刑拘的企业家王功权被正式批捕。政论学者陈子明抗议当局将推动新公民运动的人变成“国家敌人”。

3. 纽约时报北京分社：律师称商人公民王功权被正式批捕 链接

周一早间，据律师陈有西在其微博上透露，他代理的知名投资人王功权已被正式批准逮捕。“倾接北京市检察机关电话告知，王功权昨日已批准逮捕。家属尚未收到通知，检察院告今天会送达。”陈有西的微博这样写道。

4. 华尔街日报中文版：中国当局正式批捕王功权 链接

中国风险投资人王功权的律师陈有西周一表示，王功权已经被正式批捕；目前中国政府正在大范围打击一个公民组织，该组织一直在呼吁政府进行政治、社会和法律方面的改革。

5. BBC中文网：中国知名投资人王功权被捕引发关注 链接

中国媒体报道称，知名投资人王功权的代理律师陈有西周一（21日）表示，已接到北京检察机关电话告知，王功权在20日被批准逮捕。 中国境内外各界对事件广为关注，一些媒体人和知名人士已紧急发表联署，要求释放王功权。

6. 自由亚洲：王功权被正式批捕 链接

疑因发起声援许志永被刑拘的企业家王功权，刑拘期满后遭正式批捕。王功权的代表律师陈有西周一在微博上称，接到北京检察机关电话，“涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪”刑事拘留的王功权，周日已被批准逮捕。

7. 自由亚洲：商人王功权被正式逮捕 二十学者联署促当局放人 链接

中国“新公民运动”发起人之一、商人王功权星期天被北京市检察院正式批准逮捕，他的代理律师星期一告诉本台，就在前一天晚上接到检察院电话通知，案件已进入侦查阶段。另外北京的二十多名学者星期天发表要求当局释放王功权的联署声明。此外，各地律师相继前往黑龙江鸡西市看守所外，声援上周五被行政拘留五天的人权律师唐吉田，刘卫国等两名律师周一见到了唐吉田。

8. 京华时报：王功权被市检一分院正式批捕 链接

昨天上午，著名律师陈有西发微博称，王功权于前日已被检方批准逮捕。昨天，记者从相关渠道证实，经北京市人民检察院第一分院批准，10月20日，王功权因涉嫌“聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪”被正式逮捕。

9. 法广：网传王公权遭正式逮捕 中国知识界继续呼吁当局放人 链接

中国知识界发表关于王功权先生刑拘期满的声明，强烈呼吁要求释放王功权。但据网络媒体报道，北京司法已经正式决定拘捕王公权，新的逮捕令应于今天通知到家人。由陈子明，崔卫平，郭于华，郭玉闪，慕容雪村，王力雄，笑蜀，徐友渔和张千帆等人签署的关于王功权先生刑拘期满的声明说，自9月13日晚8点17分王功权先生被正式刑拘，至10月20日晚8点17分，共计37日，已达公安机关刑事侦察阶段拘留最长时限。

The Washington Post (华盛顿邮报): In China, citizens rights activist Wang Gongquan is formally arrested

Abstract: China’s authorities formally arrested a well-known entrepreneur as part of a continuing crackdown on a citizens rights movement to which he belonged and on dissent in general, his lawyer and activists said Monday. Read more

The Guardian (卫报): Chinese authorities arrest wealthy activist Wang Gongquan

Abstract: Chinese authorities have formally arrested a wealthy Chinese businessman who was a key supporter of a civil society group targeted in a wide-ranging crackdown this year, his lawyer said on Monday. Read more

South China Morning Post (南华早报): Billionaire liberal activist Wang Gongquan formally arrested

Abstract: Outspoken human rights advocate Wang Gongquan, who has been detained by police for more than a month on charges of disturbing public order, has been formally arrested, according to his lawyer. Read more

The New York Times (纽约时报): China Arrests Prominent Businessman Who Backed Rights Causes

Abstract: The police in Beijing have formally arrested a prominent Chinese businessman who turned his energies and wealth to supporting human rights causes, his lawyer said on Monday. The arrest of the businessman, Wang Gongquan, was another step in the Communist Party’s drive to deter dissent, supporters said. Notice of the decision comes a day before China is scheduled to defend its human rights record at a United Nations hearing. Read more

CNBC: Chinese billionaire arrested for crossing ‘red line’ of political activism

Abstract: In a crackdown on dissent ahead of a crucial Communist Party gathering next month, Chinese authorities on Sunday formally arrested a billionaire venture capitalist who has turned his wealth toward supporting human rights issues. Read more

NASDAQ (纳斯达克): China Formally Arrests Civic-Group Activist

Abstract: Chinese authorities formally arrested a prominent venture capitalist, his lawyer said, as the government presses ahead with a wide-scale crackdown on a civic group that has been pushing for political, social and legal reforms. Read more

The Asahi Shimbun (朝日新闻): China should respect its Constitution, release human rights activists

Abstract: Article 35 of China’s Constitution says, “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.” Despite this provision about basic human rights, however, some prominent civil activists calling for quite moderate reforms have been detained in China. Read more

Abstract: Police Friday detained an outspoken Chinese businessman who had called for the release of a prominent lawyer arrested as part of a crackdown on anti-corruption activists. 全文

The Economist (经济学家杂志): Humiliating the Big Vs Crackdown on activists
Abstract: venture capitalist Wang Gongquan, had just been detained. Chinese authorities are conducting a crackdown on activists online and off, and they have sent a message that wealthy businessmen are not safe. The detention appears to represent the latest in a string defining online space as a public place. Coming at the same time as the authorities try to corral Big Vs and criminalise wayward online posts, it appears China’s online public square is under siege. 全文

The Japan Times (日本时报): Activist Chinese billionaire detained
Abstract: Prominent businessman is one of a small band of nation’s entrepreneurs pushing political reform. Business leaders and activists said the detention of someone as respected as Wang will send a chill throughout their ranks. 全文

摘要：吉林省委仕途光明的青年、“万通六君子”中的大哥、IDG创业投资基金高级合伙人、鼎晖创业投资基金合伙人及创始人，王功权抓住了大时代的每一次机遇，不断转换身份。但自2011年那场声势浩大的“私奔”后，王功权“失业”至今。全文

二：21世纪经济报道：王功权是谁？王功权与王琴为什么私奔？

摘要：13日，王功权涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序被北京警方以传唤名义带走，目前已被正式刑拘。两年前，他因为“私奔风波”而红极一时。王功权是谁？王功权为什么私奔？全文

三：FT中文网：媒体札记：大V的功与权

摘要：黑色星期五，9.13，就要散。人称黑色星期五，有可能，史称黑色星期五。这一天，中国的知识分子和商界精英集体感受到了1989年以来最严厉的言论管制氛围。一方面，是因为在过去四年中，网络社交媒体的兴盛让中国人享受到了革命性的信息传播便利和自由，如今一旦尺度收紧，“由奢入俭难”；另一方面，也的确是中共新任领导层展现出了比江泽民、胡锦涛时代坚决得多的控制欲望，习近平明显是在继承“延安整风”时代的方略，打击贪腐渎职官员，但同时也要将反对派的颠覆梦想扼杀在摇篮里。全文

四：21世纪经济报道：组织角色和公共议题：公共秩序内外的多样王功权

摘要：9月14日，中央电视台《朝闻天下》报道，北京警方证实，王功权9月13日因涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪被依法审查。王功权是鼎晖创业投资基金创始人之一，曾任万通实业集团董事局副主席、总裁兼美国万通公司董事长。2012年1月1日他从鼎晖创投辞职。本报记者未能从北京市公安局相关部门获得更多案情信息。全文

The New York Times (纽约时报): China Detains a Billionaire for Activism
Abstract:  A Chinese billionaire venture capitalist who has strongly advocated more liberal political and social policies was detained Friday by Beijing police officers, friends of the businessman said. 全文

Wall Street Journal (华尔街日报): China Detains Venture Capitalist in Crackdown on Civic Group
Abstract: A prominent Chinese venture capitalist has been taken away by police in the latest move by authorities to crack down on a loosely organized civic group pushing for greater rule of law and transparency in the country. 全文

South China Morning Post (南华早报): Wang Gongquan latest activist to be taken away
Abstract: Wang Gongquan, a former venture capitalist and outspoken advocate for greater civic involvement on the mainland, has become the latest public figure to be swept up in Beijing’s crackdown on internet dissent. 全文

South China Morning Post (南华早报): ‘I am afraid no more’, says billionaire investor Wang Gongquan, 2 months before his detention
Abstract: In an interview with the South China Morning Post in July, Wang Gongquan, the Chinese venture capitalist and political activist taken in by Beijing police on Friday, talked about his own activism, his friend and fellow activist Xu Zhiyong, as well as his fears for political repercussion. He said that he had feared for his own possible arrest, but the fear dissipated over time. 全文

South China Morning Post (南华早报): Outspoken investor Wang Gongquan detained by police amid widening crackdown
Abstract：Wang Gongquan, a prominent Chinese venture capitalist and close friend of arrested rights activist Xu Zhiyong, has been detained by police on Friday at his home in Beijing.
By Friday evening, Wang’s family had received a further notice from the police, telling them that Wang had been officially detained on the same charges, pending a criminal investigation, according to a copy of the notice that the Post obtained. 全文

China Digital Time (中国数字时代): Supporters Demand Wang Gongquan’s Release After “Black Friday” for Activists
Abstract:The ‘Urgent Statement Regarding the Criminal Detention of Wang Gongquan’, available in English at China Change, was coauthored by Liu Suli, Guo Yushan and Chen Min (Xiao Shu), and has been signed by over 600 others. Fei Chang Dao reported that as of Saturday, Sina Weibo searches for “Wang Gongquan Urgent Statement” were blocked, though searches for either phrase separately were permitted. Tencent Weibo, on the other hand, was blocking searches for “Wang Gongquan” completely. 全文

UPI (合众国际社): Chinese entrepreneur questioned by police in crackdown effort
Abstract: A leading Chinese venture capitalist was detained by police Friday as part of a crackdown against political activists and critics, The Washington Post reported. 全文

Global News (环球时报): Unconditional support for Wang is imprudent
Abstract: Several liberals have started to collect signatures on Weibo and completely politicized the incident. They claimed that China is at “the most dangerous moment,” and warned that police authorities “should not irritate the public.” We believe such an unconditional endorsement based on value judgment is not appropriate. 全文

Les Vegas Sun (拉斯维加斯太阳报): Chinese police detain civic-minded businessman
Abstract: A Chinese businessman who has been a supporter of a grassroots group to promote civil society has been taken away by police, in a sign Beijing is stepping up its crackdown on the loosely organized movement. 全文

China Daily (中国日报): Billionaire taken by police for unknown reasons
Abstract:Wang is suspected of disturbing public order, according to a micro blog post by ”Xiaoshu”, whosaid he was authorized to publish the information by Wang’s family, the report said. 全文

摘要：支持中国公民运动的商界人士王功权被警方带走后，多名学者、知识分子发起联署行动呼吁中国当局应立即释放王功权。在他们眼中，中国新一届政府对言论自由和公民社会的打压已经让中国社会“面临最危险的时候。”

二：自由亚洲电台：多人联署呼吁当局释放王功权 《环时》称自由派为其无条件背书遭批驳 链接

摘要：商人王功权周五晚被当局以“涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序”刑拘后引发广泛关注。当晚网上发起联署签名活动，要求当局无条件释放王功权，截至周日下午已有600余人参与。官方媒体《环球时报》周六刊登评论文章指自由派为其无条件背书有违法律精神遭到民众反驳批评。

三：纽约时报中文网：商人公民王功权被拘留（英文版标题：Activist Chinese Billionaire Is Arrested）链接

摘要：一位大力倡导更自由的政治和社会政策的中国富豪风险投资人周五被北京警方带走，这位商人的朋友称。51岁的商人王功权是律师许志永的密友，许志永上月因“聚众扰乱公共场所秩序罪”被正式批捕。周五在网上流传的一张传唤证照片显示，王功权因同样罪名被拘留。传唤证显示，拘留王功权的是北京公安局公共交通安全保卫分局。

四：京华时报：知名投资人王功权被刑拘 环保人董良杰遭调查 链接

摘要：两年前因为“私奔风波”而红极一时的鼎辉投资创始人王功权，在沉默许久后再次引起人们的关注。昨天，王功权涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序被北京警方以传唤名义带走，目前已被正式刑拘。此外，昨天微博还传出网络大V董良杰于9月11日在江苏苏州被北京警方网监部门带走，疑涉嫌网络造谣。目前董良杰的家属已确认上述消息。

五：美国之音：海内外联署促无条件释放公民企业家王功权 链接

摘要：香港 — 在北京公民企业家、热心公益事业的王功权9月13日被北京警方以涉嫌“聚众扰乱公共场所秩序”刑拘后，由自由派学者发起的要求当局立即无条件释放王功权的联署声援，在短短两天内获得超过600位海内外人士的签名响应。

六：北京晚报：北京市公安局证实:王功权被传唤审查 链接

摘要：2013年9月14日讯，北京，北京市公安局上午证实，知名投资人王功权因涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序，昨日被北京市公安局传唤后，进行审查。对今晨流传的王功权已被刑拘的消息，警方未予正面回应。

七：南方都市报：投资人王功权被北京警方刑拘 近年常参与公民活动 链接

摘要：知名投资人王功权因涉嫌聚众扰乱公共场所秩序，昨日被北京市公安局传唤后刑拘的消息在网上引发关注。这一消息获得其家人与知名网友郭玉闪等人的证实，拘留通知书同时曝光。据南方都市报记者了解，王功权目前被羁押在北京市第三看守所。

By Simon Denyer, Published: September 13

BEIJING — Last month, Chinese police invited Wang Gongquan in for a “cup of tea,” often a prelude here to detention. He had launched a public petition calling for the release of arrested dissident Xu Zhiyong, and the authorities were not amused. But Wang effectively told the police to forget it — he had no time for tea, he was traveling, and he had said everything he wanted to say.

Wang figured he could get away with defying the Chinese government. He was a respected businessman, a multimillionaire who had made a fortune in real estate and in Silicon Valley. He was a social media sensation, and he had been careful, as he saw it, not to break any laws. But he knew he was taking a chance.

On Friday, the police came for him.

More than 20 police officers arrived at Wang’s house at 11:30 a.m. with a warrant accusing him of “organizing a mob to disturb public order.” He was led off to criminal detention as his wife looked on, she later told fellow activist and columnist Chen Min. The police searched his house for two hours and seized his computer, according to Chen, who had co-written the petition.

Since Xi Jinping took over as president in March, China has launched a crackdown on political activists and critics, whether they have been organizing street protests or merely commenting online. Wang, as one of a small band of Chinese entrepreneurs calling for political reform and a leading member of a new group campaigning for citizens’ rights, knew he was sailing close to the wind.

“It is people’s natural instinct to pursue freedom, but you have to decide how big a price you are prepared to pay for it,” he said during a series of interviews over the past two months.

Wang, 51, says he is not like other businessmen: Instead of spending time at banquets, on yachts or playing golf, he reads books. He says he has missed many business opportunities because he was not prepared to “collude with power.”

But in July, he went a step further, setting himself up in what he calls “constructive opposition” to China’s political system. In their petition for Xu’s release, Wang and Chen vowed never to “yield in the face of despotic power.”

“We believe we stand on the right side of history,” they wrote. “There is no amount of intimidation or bribery that can divide us.”

Usually dressed in a Chinese silk shirt, with rimless spectacles and a Tissot watch, Wang cuts an elegant figure. Lining his office in Beijing’s central business district are shelves of books he has commissioned or published to preserve the poetry of the turbulent period between the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 and the advent of communist rule in 1949, a cultural era long neglected for political reasons.

As a promising engineering student in the early 1980s, Wang was recruited by the Communist Party and later served in the propaganda department of the Jilin provincial government. But he became disillusioned, he said, after studying the history of the global communist movement and being granted access to books banned for ordinary citizens. After the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, he was detained for six months, because, he said, some of his friends had taken part in the demonstrations.

On his release, Wang made his fortune, first by investing in real estate on the island of Hainan off southern China in the 1990s, then by investing in Silicon Valley during the dot.com boom later that decade. In 2004, he became a Buddhist and finally quit the Communist Party, an atheist organization.

But in 2011, Wang became the most talked-about man in the country, when he announced on his Weibo social media account that he was leaving his wife and eloping with his mistress. “I can’t explain to you guys and I am ashamed. So I leave without saying goodbye,” he wrote. “I kowtow for forgiveness!” The post went viral, reposted more than 70,000 times.

Ashamed or not, Wang later posted a video of himself standing in front of a lake singing a self-penned ode to his mistress that professed “a heart longing for love.” Nicknamed the “Emperor of Elopement,” Wang quit the venture-capital firm he had founded and spent a year as a visiting scholar at Columbia University, where he says he studied civil society, democratic transformations around the world and the supervision of public finances.

Even before that, however, Wang had emerged as a human rights advocate in China, protesting earlier in 2011 outside one of the secretive “black jails” where petitioners who bring grievances to the central government are often locked up because their complaints embarrass those in power. More recently, he has become a leading member of Xu’s New Citizens Movement, a social campaign to promote civil society, the rule of law and limits on the unbridled power of Communist Party officials.

This year, members angered authorities by unfurling banners in Beijing demanding that officials publicly declare their assets. More than a dozen were later arrested or detained, including Xu and now Wang, although neither took part in the protests.

Business leaders and activists said the detention of someone as respected as Wang would send a chill throughout their ranks.

“It’s a very serious warning for everyone,” said Chen, better known by his pen name, Xiao Shu. “I am prepared for the worst.”

Everyone is scared, said a businessman who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It seems we are no longer allowed speak out, or care about the country anymore,” he said.

With corruption rampant, inequality growing and the environment devastated, Wang says, citizens and entrepreneurs need to join together to push for change, or the country risks a social explosion. Like many of his peers, Wang says China needs a judiciary that is independent of the Communist Party, stronger property rights and economic growth that is less reliant on state-directed investment.

His father recently warned him over dinner not to put himself in jeopardy by opposing the government, he said in one interview; a longtime friend broke with him for the same reason. He had already steeled himself for his possible arrest but insisted he had no regrets.

“In China, we are at a moment when the old ruling system of the party and traditional value systems are changing and under reconstruction,” he said. “A new era is coming.”

Wang said he had refused to have tea with the police because they would not say whom he would be meeting with. “To be frank, I also wanted to conduct a small experiment,” he said. “I wanted to test if they came to me just to talk or if they want to pursue me. It seems they don’t mean to arrest me yet.”

Last Saturday, he attended his daughter’s wedding in Zhejiang province, and his last toast was “to love the motherland and obey your conscience,” according to a fellow guest.

Less than a week later, Wang was behind bars.

Zhang Jie contributed to this report.

王功权

消息称，曾声援被捕法律学者许志永的中国知名投资人王功权被北京警方以扰乱秩序为由带走。

媒体人笑蜀对BBC中文网说，据王功权的家人对他称，北京市公安局20多名警员星期五（9月13日）上午到其家中搜查近两个小时，随后把王功权以及其电脑等物品带走。

笑蜀说，警方出示了传唤通知书，涉嫌罪名是扰乱公共场所秩序。目前王功权下落不明。

王功权与笑蜀曾在7月份联署声援被抓捕的许志永。许志永在8月份被当局以“聚众扰乱公共秩序”的罪名正式逮捕。

这份联署名为《许志永事件之公民社会呼吁书》，目前已有近3000人联署。其他联署人还包括经济学家茅于轼与《南方人物周刊》主笔何三畏等。

《呼吁书》要求当局尽快释放许志永和其他因参与“新公民运动”而被拘禁的人员。

笑蜀向BBC中文网转发的传唤通知书所示，传唤王功权的单位为北京市公安局公共交通安全保卫分局。北京市公安局暂未对王功权被带走的消息有任何公布。

据报道，王功权被抓捕前刚在星期一参加了女儿王若静的婚礼，SOHO中国董事长潘石屹等“万通六君子”均有到贺。
“天使投资人”

53岁的王功权早年曾在中共吉林省委宣传部任职，后活跃于投资界，被视为“天使投资者”，从事风险投资。据财新网上的王功权博客介绍，他还是一位诗人。

王功权曾为鼎晖创业投资基金与国际数据集团（IDG）合伙人，投资过奇虎等知名中国网企。

2011年，王功权在微博上宣称与女资本家王琴私奔，并退出鼎晖和奇虎董事会。他后来在纽约哥伦比亚大学东亚研究所进修，今年1月返回中国。

王功权与许志永均为原公盟法律研究中心成员，该中心于2009年被北京当局以偷税漏税为由查封。

据称王功权的新浪和腾讯微博粉丝超过100万，但因他在微博上转发公盟汗衫的照片，两个帐号于去年9月被注销。目前腾讯微博把王功权的名字列为敏感词，无法搜索。

（撰稿：叶靖斯　责编：萧尔）

BEIJING (AP) — The formal arrest this week of one of China’s most well-known civil rights advocates underscores how unnerved the country’s new leaders are by any independent, vaguely organized political action — even if it is as mundane as gathering for a dinner party.

Beijing activist Xu Zhiyong, arrested Thursday, is one of the founders of a loose network of campaigners known as the New Citizens Movement, who, among other things, have called for people to get together on the last Saturday of each month for dinner to discuss China’s constitution and other legal issues.

Xu had been detained last month by Beijing police in the latest blow by Chinese authorities against a beleaguered activist community that has seen a widespread crackdown against peaceful assembly.

Zhang Qingfang, a lawyer for Xu, said his partner learned of Xu’s formal arrest from Beijing’s prosecuting office Thursday and that the arrest document should be delivered to Xu’s family soon. The Beijing prosecuting office could not immediately provide information on Xu.

Police have accused Xu of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place,” a vaguely defined charge that rights groups say has increasingly been used against activists.

The New Citizens participants have lobbied for the rights of rural migrant children to attend city schools and for officials to declare their assets — down-to-earth issues that resonate with the Chinese public and make China’s leaders worry about protests that could gain momentum and challenge Communist Party rule.

The campaigners have also held small demonstrations in several cities, usually involving a handful of people holding banners, making speeches or collecting signatures.

“Even though our principles and requests are moderate and lawful, the authorities see it as a challenge to the entire social order,” Xu’s friend and fellow legal activist Teng Biao said in a recent interview in Beijing. “In their view, they cannot tolerate this kind of activity that takes to the streets.”

Teng said that dinner gatherings have been held in as many as 31 cities, though attendance varies from a couple of dozen people to around 100.

Teng said peaceful demonstrations were the inevitable next step in the evolution of China’s activist community over the past decade. “It is not going to stop at writing essays or joint letters or petitions posted online,” Teng said. “We need to take specific actions to fight for our rights.”

During his detention, Xu urged Chinese citizens to unite in pursuing democratic freedoms in a video posted online.

“No matter how utterly defeated or absurd this society is,” Xu said in the video, “this country needs brave citizens who can stand up and hold fast to their convictions, who can take their rights, responsibilities and their dreams seriously.”

Hu Jia, a veteran activist, said he attended one such dinner in December in Beijing at which around 100 participants discussed how to push rules for officials to declare their financial assets. Such a mechanism has been recommended by many mainstream anti-corruption experts as an effective way to curb graft, but they also acknowledge that officials are wary of introducing such reforms any time soon.

Hu said discussions at the dinner led to the drafting of recommendations for lawmakers, as well as several demonstrations in Beijing earlier this year. Campaigners held banners outside subway stations and outside a temple fair during the spring festival, he said. A number of demonstrators have since been detained.

“When people gather across many cities for dinner to discuss politics on the same day every month, the authorities panic,” Hu said.

Such a civil rights movement, however loosely organized, appears to have unsettled China’s recently appointed leadership, which is eager to cement its authority. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the country’s top prosecutor, issued a notice in June saying that “national political security, public safety and social harmony and stability” should be of paramount importance to Chinese authorities.

More than 50 people have been detained or arrested for “unlawful assembly” and other similar charges in Beijing and half a dozen other provinces since March this year, according to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

Wen Yunchao, an online rights activist who was recently a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York, has kept an independent, incomplete tally from January. He says around 100 people remain detained or arrested for political expression.

Most recently, the veteran rights activist Yang Maodong, who goes by the alias Guo Feixiong, was detained Saturday for “disrupting public order.”

In an editorial Monday, the Global Times newspaper, a nationalist tabloid paper published by the Communist Party, criticized Xu and Guo by name — a rare mention of activists who Chinese authorities prefer to treat as nonexistent.

“They are always stirring up society and posing a challenge to social governance,” the editorial said, adding that the country is in a period of “transformation.”

Though the paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the government, the editorial was the closest thing to an official comment on the New Citizen detentions. It warned of legal reprisals for Xu and Yang.

But activists seemed undeterred. Chen Jianfang, a Shanghai-based activist who has tried organizing dinner parties, said the movement was essentially leaderless and would continue despite the detentions.

“We want to use these dinners to discuss exactly why society faces the problem that when ordinary people have been wronged they have nowhere to turn to,” Chen said.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union called on China on Wednesday to release one of the country’s most prominent rights activists, Xu Zhiyong, telling Beijing to respect international standards on freedom of expression.

Police arrested Xu, who has called for officials to disclose their wealth, last week, raising the stakes in the government’s crackdown on anti-graft campaigners.

“The EU calls on the Chinese authorities to respect the right to freedom of expression … and to release Xu Zhiyong as well as all other activists who have been detained or put under house arrest for peacefully expressing their views,” Europe’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement.

Western governments have sparred repeatedly with Beijing over human rights and the United States raised Xu’s case this month during its annual rights dialogue with China.

Beijing police arrested Xu on a charge of “gathering a crowd to disturb order in a public place”, one of Xu’s lawyers said at the time. He was detained last month on the same charge. Before that, he had been under house arrest for three months, with no reason given by the authorities.

China has detained at least 16 activists involved in pushing for asset disclosure by officials, in what rights groups say is a new, coordinated crackdown by the ruling Communist Party against graft campaigners.

Tensions between EU and China worsened in May because of a separate row over Chinese solar panel imports to Europe that threatened to start a trade war.

The solar trade dispute, by far the biggest between China and the EU, was defused in July with a deal to set a minimum price for panels from China. But trade tensions are likely to persist because China is seeking to produce sophisticated products that compete with Europe.

(Reporting by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Alison Williams)