Chinese police are watching and detaining participants in a hunger strike aimed at freeing political prisoners as new volunteers -- maybe hundreds -- emerge to join the protest, according to participants.
"The police in different cities, including Beijing, are starting a mass hunt for hunger strikers," Gao Zhisheng (
The protest is China's most widespread since the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations and is an unusual challenge to the Communist Party, which usually quickly stamps out any public sign of dissent.
Police have detained at least a dozen protesters, according to their relatives and other activists. Officials haven't confirmed the existence of a crackdown, or given details of individual cases.
Many of the protesters are fasting for a day or two at a time with some publicizing it on the Internet.
"It's like the first domino falling," said Zhang Jiankang (
"I hope it can bring more conscience to the people in the Communist Party, and more freedom and more democracy to China," Zhang said.
But authorities are paying attention, Zhang and others in the movement said.
"Around 11pm last night [Sunday night], three policemen visited my home," Zhang said.
"They suggested that I not go on hunger strike, and said they hoped I can tell them of my whereabouts in the future," he said.
Gao said on Sunday that about 70 people in 18 of China's 32 provinces and regions have phoned or e-mailed him and volunteered to join some 900 people already taking part in the protest.
"Thousands more have offered to join through postings on a number of Internet Web sites," Gao said.
Zhang said he's received a lot of encouragement -- mostly from lawyers and college students in his province, Shaanxi -- after announcing his plan to join the movement.
"They send me text messages through cell phones and call me to show their support," he said.
Such a show of boldness could not only trigger a move by China's ever-efficient authorities to silence a noisy problem -- it could spark dangerous anger in a system that's institutionally conscious of saving face.
But Gao said the momentum has become so disturbingly strong that he's now urging eager volunteers who are contacting him to back off.
"We don't want any more innocent people to get involved," he said.
Gao, Zhang and a core group of five others have gone so far as to publicize their names.
Gao has defended dissidents and practitioners of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group in court. He is known for sending open letters to Chinese leaders criticizing government policies.
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