Hubei : Police in China's central Hubei province have arrested investigative journalist Shangguan Yunkai on charges of allegedly selling counterfeit medicine.

Yunkai, who has been working as a journalist for over a decade, has best known for his reporting on corruption in China including the case of Sun Zhengcai, a former top Communist Party official who was convicted of corruption in 2017.

China ranks 175th out of 180 in the 2022 RSF World Press Freedom Index, and Yunkai's detention is a reminder of the challenges that journalists face in China. The Chinese government has a long history of harassing and imprisoning journalists who report on sensitive topics. China is also the world's largest captor of journalists, with 100s are still detained.

Yunkai's detention has been met with widespread condemnation from journalists and human rights groups. They have accused the Chinese government of using trumped-up charges to silence critical voices. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called Yunkai's detention "a clear sign that the Chinese government is determined to silence independent reporting." The CPJ has also called on the Chinese government to release Yunkai immediately and drop all charges against him.