Nearly 150 human rights lawyers and activists have been detained and interrogated by the Chinese government in a nation-wide sweep this week, CNN reports.
At least 124 of those detained have now been released, but the actions have prompted condemnation from national governments including the United States. At least 22 reportedly still remain in custody.
According to CNN:
"This is not the first time Chinese security forces have rounded up critics of the government. But activists have long painted an increasingly grim picture of human rights abuses under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.
Since he came to power in late 2012, Xi has been accused of tightening his grip on any open dissent. Recent examples of prominent figures being arrested and imprisoned on what critics say are trumped-up charges included Gao Yu, a 71-year-old veteran journalist, and Ilham Tohti, an ethnic Uyghur economics professor known for his moderate views on ethnic issues in China."
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