Award-winning Chinese photographer Lu Guang has gone missing earlier this month. His wife Xu Xiaoli says that she last heard from him on 3 November, and she claims that he was taken away by national security officers.
BBC reports that Mr. Lu was invited to Xinjiang region in China to attend several photography events. He arrived to Urumqi, the capital of the region, on 23 October. From there, he planned to fly to Sichuan on 5 November for a charity event. He was supposed to meet with a friend there, who was identified only as Mr. Chen. However, when Mr. Chen arrived to Sichuan, Mr. Lu wasn’t there. Mr. Chen called Ms. Xu to try and find out where her husband was, but she didn’t know it. She said that the last time she heard from him was on 3 November, so she tried to find out what happened.
Ms. Xu reportedly called the wife of the person who had invited Mr. Lu to Xinjiang. The lady told her that both Mr Lu and the host had been taken away by the national security. Later on, the officials from Mr. Lu’s hometown in Zhejiang province confirmed it- the renowned photojournalist was, indeed, taken away by the national security. But reportedly, they weren’t able to provide any more information.
According to Ms. Xu, she hasn’t received any notice of her husband’s arrest. She last heard from him on 3 November, which means that it’s been almost a month now since he went missing. Ms. Xu claims that she tried to get in touch with Xinjiang police several times, but she hasn’t been able to get through. On Twitter, she shared the information about her husband going missing, as well as her contact details if anyone has any information about him.
著名摄影师 #卢广 在新疆失联经过 pic.twitter.com/2BcvO7OByS
— 徐小莉（卢广妻子） (@Xiaoli11032018) November 26, 2018
You may be familiar with Mr. Lu’s work, which reflects on some significant social, health, and environmental issues in China. He has worked as a freelance photographer since 1993. During his career, he has covered stories about mine workers, drug addicts, AIDS-infected villagers from Henan Province, the effects of pollution and diseases, and much more. His images are powerful and striking, and they have brought him many prestigious awards.
Mr. Lu’s work exposes the numerous issues of his home country, and the Chinese government doesn’t respond well to criticism. As BBC writes, this wouldn’t be the first time for the officials to detain reporters who cover negative stories about China, and Mr. Lu’s work certainly exposes many issues this country is facing.
[via BBC; image credits: World Press Photo (video screenshot)]
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