An activist who tried to help bereaved Sichuan parents get answers about why so many schools collapsed in May's earthquake has been arrested, the New York Times reports. Huang Qi was taken away by plainclothes police after posting information about the parents on his website. He has been accused of possessing state secrets and could face years in jail.
Some 7,000 schoolrooms collapsed in the earthquake and many parents believe shoddy construction permitted by corrupt officials was to blame. Officials clamped down on parent protests that erupted in the rare period of openness after the quake. Huang had praised the new openness. "He actually thought things were heading in the right direction,” said a human rights worker pressing for Huang's release. “That’s one of the tragedies of his detention." (More China stories.)