Chinese authorities have detained Bloomberg News Beijing employee Haze Fan and it has now been several days since her disappearance, according to a report from the company.
Fan last contacted an editor Monday morning local time before “she was seen being escorted from her apartment building by plain clothes security officials,” according to Bloomberg.
“We are very concerned for her, and have been actively speaking to Chinese authorities to better understand the situation,” a spokesperson for Bloomberg said. “We are continuing to do everything we can to support her while we seek more information.”
Fan’s family was alerted to the news within 24 hours and Bloomberg is continuing to try and get more information about where she is, the article notes. Bloomberg News’ partner company Bloomberg LP confirmed “that Fan is being held on suspicion of participating in activities endangering national security,” Bloomberg reported.
More terrible news from #China. Haze Fan is an experienced Chinese journalist. Apart from Bloomberg she’s worked for Reuters, CNBC, CBS and Al Jazeera. Now she’s been taken away to be held in secret because of some “national security” breach. https://t.co/VOdgAVuH4O
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) December 11, 2020
“Chinese citizen Ms. Fan has been detained by the Beijing National Security Bureau according to relevant Chinese law on suspicion of engaging in criminal activities that jeopardize national security,” Chinese authorities told the company. “The case is currently under investigation. Ms. Fan’s legitimate rights have been fully ensured and her family has been notified.”
Fan previously worked at CNBC, CBS News, Al Jazeera and Thomson Reuters before joining Bloomberg in 2017. (RELATED: LA Times Says One Of Its Reporters Was Grabbed By Throat, Arrested For Hours While Trying To Report In China)
Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Michlethwait said that the company is doing their “best to try and find out exactly where she is, what’s happened and to try and get her back,” according to the South China Morning Post.
“Haze is a very talented person, a very respected, integral part of our newsroom, very popular, and we are deeply concerned for her well-being,” Michlethwait added.