Crime: Alleged fraud and extortion. Qi, a journalist, first drew the government's attention when he criticized low-ranking officials in the city of Tengzhou for beating a local woman who arrived late to work. He also posted a picture of a luxurious government building on an online discussion forum in June 2007. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Qi was originally detained in June 2007 for holding a false press card, then was charged with the more serious crimes of fraud and extortion on the last day allowed by the statute of limitations.
Factoid: Held in jail for over a year while authorities attempted to mount their case, Qi finally received a 12-hour trial on May 13th, during which two police officers hit his head against the floor, according to Qi's lawyer.
More informationCommittee to Protect Journalists--Eric Zimmermann