Chinese internet writer jailed

Mr Lui wrote essays about the Tiananmen crackdown

A Chinese journalist has been jailed for two years without trial, according to an American civil rights group.

Liu Shui was detained in the southern town of Shenzhen, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

The group is concerned that Mr Liu could have been arrested in connection with his writings on sensitive political topics.

He had recently posted essays on the internet commemorating pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Liu Shui is a former editor and reporter for the outspoken Southern Metropolis News and the Shenzhen Evening News.

He was detained in Shenzhen on 2 May, accused of soliciting prostitutes, the rights group said.

He was reportedly ordered to serve two years of "custody and education", a form of punishment specifically designed for accused prostitutes and their clients.

According to Chinese law, the authorities can sentence individuals to up to two years of "custody and education" without filing formal charges or holding a trial.

Before his arrest, Mr Liu wrote essays commemorating the 4 June military crackdown in Beijing, which he posted on the internet. The essays called for political reforms and the release of political prisoners.

The 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown will take place next month.

The deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Joel Simon, said Mr Shui's arrest was another example of the Chinese authorities using spurious criminal charges against a journalist for political reasons.

"Fifteen years after the June 4 crackdown, China's leaders have proven that they still will not tolerate any open discussion of political and social reforms," he said.