China accuses detained Swede of endangering state security

Chinese state media say a Swedish co-founder of a human rights group in China was detained because he is suspected of funding activities that endanger state security.
The official Xinhua News Agency said yesterday that Peter Dahlin also collected negative information and trained unlicensed lawyers to stir up hostility toward the government.
Dahlin’s group, the China Urgent Action Working Group, says he was detained on Jan. 3 on his way to Beijing’s main airport, where he was to fly to Thailand.
His detention came amid a crackdown on rights lawyers who have sought to hold the government accountable and protect civic rights.
Endangering state security includes a number of offenses. The maximum sentence for some is the death penalty, although it also allows for foreigners to be deported. AP