China has arrested an activist who gathered 10,000 signatures for an open letter spurning the Beijing Olympics and demanding human rights, a rights group and dissident said Tuesday.
Yang Chunlin was arrested in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on July 6 and charged on Monday with attempting to subvert state power, 
Veteran dissident Hu Jia said the arrest was part of a government crackdown to "clear up" politically sensitive cases ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games.
"Right now I'm helping Yang Chunlin to hire a lawyer," Hu told AFP by phone from the Beijing home where he lives under tight police control.
"The authorities have threatened Yang's family and relatives. Yang's wife dares not speak to anyone because of the threats."
China arrests activist who hit out at Olympics: rights group
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