Edward Lawrence, a BBC journalist was detained by Chinese police while he was reporting lockdown protests against China’s communist government. 

Huge anti-government protests and expressions of resentment were being carried on by people in China, angered by the state’s Zero-Covid Policy. Xi Jinping’s Zero-Covid Policy took a strategy of mass testing, forced lockdowns, coerced quarantine, and digital tracking. 

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Who is Edward Lawrence? 

Edward Lawrence is a senior journalist and a camera operator at BBC. He was currently working in China, covering the country and the region. He had previously produced and shooted political documentaries in the UK. He worked on documentaries including Brexit Strom: Laura Kuenssberg’s Inside Story. 

Prior to this he also worked as a producer, video journalist, and camera operator. He worked with multiple international news agencies and broadcasters including BBC, ITN (ITV News), Al Jazeera, SBS, ABC News, Vice Media, and also The Press Association.

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Edward had a strong interest in Chinese culture and society. In China, he was covering Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and China’s fight with swine and coronavirus. 

He was beaten, kicked by police officers, taken away in handcuffs, and released hours after detention, reported BBC News adding that the treatment is “extremely concerning.”

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Two clips of the arrest were shared on Twitter by a user who claimed to witness the scene. One of the clips shows four police officers standing over a man whose face is not identifiable. 

The second clip of a man in the same clothes, identified as Ed Lawrence, is posted showing police quickly taking him away. The man’s shout “Call the consulate now,” is audible. This could not be ascertained from the videos, that what happened prior to this and led to the arrest of Lawrence.