The morning of 21 October 2011, pro-democracy activist, Cao Haibo was arrested by the Kunming Public Security Bureau on charges of “incitement to subvert state power.” Reports say his arrest was sudden, carried out by four plainclothes police officers who failed to show any formal documents for his arrest and who also prohibited him from notifying anyone. A few days thereafter, police officers raided his home, taking with them three telephones, a computer, a USB stick, and two bank cards among other things.

Cao’s wife, Zhang Nian, received formal notice of his arrest—35 days after it happened—on November 25. The notice simply stated that he was being held on suspicions of “inciting to subvert state power.” Zhang—who was six months pregnant at the time of his arrest—has unsuccessfully plead with officials to speak with her husband again. During an interview with Radio Free Asia, a non-profit news center, Zhang says she knew about Cao’s democratic views and about Zhenhua Wang (振華網), a pro-democracy website he founded. She, however, is unclear about the specifics of her husband’s arrest. Zhang tells the press that she will remain in Kunming until she receives a clear answer about her husband’s fate from authorities handling his case. She says that--regardless of whether he is punished or released--she just wants to know, though she remains convinced of her husband’s innocence.