Xu Zhangrun: Chinese professor who took on President Xi Jinping

Xu Zhangrun, a professor in Beijing is one of the few Chinese academics who took on Xi Jinping. A week back, the Chinese police detained Xu Zhangrun only to release him six days later.

“The coronavirus epidemic has revealed the rotten core of Chinese governance,I can all too easily predict that Iwill be subjected to new punishments, indeed, this may well even be the last thing I write,”Zhangrun said as he dared to speak out against Xi Jinping in China which is acrime in the eyes of the Chinese state.

The Chinese police showed up at the door of Xu Zhangrun who isaprominent Chinese academic at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.

Xu Zhangrun saw his detention coming and quicklypacked few pairs of underwear and a toothbrush in a small bag. He was taken away by Chinese authorities onJuly 6.

Xu had feared the worst butafter his words caught the attention of the world,Chinese authorities released him within a week.

Xu Zhangrun gained prominence in 2018 as a critique of Xi Jinping. He blamed the Chinese president of stifling debate. Chinese authorities issued warnings against Xu andhe was suspended from the university buthe continued to document the growing disquiet within China.

This essay in Mandarin was the last straw for the Communist Partytitled "When fury becomes fear". The essay was translated in English by historian Geremie R Barme.It doesn’t name Xi Jinpingbutuses arcane terms to take on the supreme leader.

Xu calls Xi Jinping the axle andblames him and the “cabal” that surrounds him for the coronavirus outbreak.

The merciless criticism continues throughout the essay: “The bureaucratic and governance system of China that is now fully on display is one that values the mediocre, the dilatoryand the timid. A similar political malaise infects every province and the rot goes right up to Beijing.”

Xu Zhangrun was first placed under house arrest for those words but was quietly released on Sunday. While China hasn’t confirmed his release,f riends of Xu have told the international media that he is back home.

The charges against him were never specified but a report quotes his wife saying that Xu was accused of soliciting prostitution.

China has used similar pretexts in the past to discredit critics of the government.Xu Zhangrun has been released for nowbut the Communist Party hasn’t stopped censoring criticism and punishing the dissenters.

At least four citizen journalists were detained recently for exposing the failures of China in tackling the coronavirus crisis.