Detained rights activist Huang Qi (黄琦) was formally arrested by Sichuan police the afternoon of Friday, July 18, Human Rights in China has learned. Huang, who travelled to the Sichuan earthquake zone and published news about the plight of parents who lost children in the disaster, was detained by authorities on June 10, 2008.

Police presented Huang’s mother with Huang’s arrest warrant at 3:00pm on Friday (Beijing time). Huang has been kept incommunicado since his detention began on June 10, with authorities prohibiting family members from meeting with him. Huang continues to be denied access to legal counsel, ostensibly on grounds that his case concerns "state secrets."