China editor 'died after beating'

BBC News
February 7, 2006

A Chinese editor has died as a result of a police beating he received for his paper's reporting on corruption, journalists and rights groups say.

Wu Xianghu had been in hospital since the attack in October, suffering from an existing liver problem made worse by the beating, earlier reports said.

Wu was reportedly attacked by some 50 policemen after his paper accused them of charging illegal bicycle fees.

China's media have reported a string of torture and coercion cases by police.

Wu died of liver and kidney failure on Thursday, according to Lu Weibo, a reporter with the Taizhou Evening News, who wrote the article believed to have provoked the beating.

The article accused the local police of charging illegal fees for registering electric bicycles.

Local media reported widely on the beating, but have been silent on Wu's death, possibly reflecting its sensitivity.

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