A WUHAN whistleblower has been detained by Chinese cops for running a secret website “exposing coverup in posts written in Klingon”. Chen Mei, 28, along with a group of whistleblowers were involved in a project aiming to uncover what was happening as the virus had already begun to spread in China. The Terminus 2049 project […]
A WUHAN whistleblower has been detained by Chinese cops for running a secret website “exposing coverup in posts written in Klingon”.
Chen Mei, 28, along with a group of whistleblowers were involved in a project aiming to uncover what was happening as the virus had already begun to spread in China.
The Terminus 2049 project was an open-source archive that keeps records of censored articles from Chinese media and in this case, was used to share information about the outbreak, in morse code or Klingon, the fictional Star Trek language.
His brother, Chen Kun has been living in self-imposed exile in Paris, terrified of the consequences if he returns home.
Fearing the spread of the virus, Chen Kun fled the country to Indonesia last year.
In April 2020 he was told his brother had been detained along with two others involved in the Terminus 2049 project.
According to Chen Kun, his brother and his friend Cai Wei have been out of contact since April 19, when they were detained in Beijing.
Mr Chen had been charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”.
No member of his family has seen or heard of him since and according to his brother an officer had said only that he was “cooperating with an investigation”.
Speaking to CNN his brother said he is seriously concerned about him and his family back in China.
“I’m worried, but I don’t have any choice. I just have one option which is to speak out,” Chen Kun said.
Last year articles criticising China’s handling of the pandemic that were posted online in morse code and Klingon, were deleted by censors.
China had been heavily criticised after local authorities in Wuhan punished whistleblowers who attempted to publicise the first outbreak at the time.
A hero Chinese doctor who had tried to warn the world of the pandemic had been sent a letter by police before he died of the virus in February last year.
Doctor Li Wenlaing, 34, was told if he refused to repent he would be punished’.
He was working as an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital when he contacted about 150 medics on popular messaging platform WeChat, saying: ‘Seven confirmed SARS cases were found in Huanan Fruit and Seafood Market.’
Zhang Zhan, 37, a Chinese journalist was arrested after reporting from Wuhan and posting videos of crematoriums working at midnight.
She is believed to have been taken from her hotel room charged with “provocation and trouble making” after she live-streamed scenes to Twitter and YouTube.
