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| Screenshot from World Press Photo’s video interview, embedded in full below. |
As reported last month, Lu, who lives in New York with his wife and son, was invited to visit Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi to lead a week-long photography workshop. Xu lost contact with Lu around November 3, and the New York Times cited “local sources” who claimed he and his local host were detained by security services around the same time.
Weeks had passed without official information about the photographer’s location, but a new report from the New York Times states Lu’s family was given confirmation of his arrest. Neither written confirmation nor the reason for Lu’s arrest were provided, however. The friend who invited Lu to Xinjiang was reportedly also arrested.
Xinjiang has been subjected to intense surveillance and police activity in recent years as the Chinese government attempts to crackdown on what it claims are terrorist threats from the region’s Muslim Kazakh and Uighur populations. A recent report revealed the existence of forced labor within Xinjiang’s re-education and ‘training’ camps, fueling international condemnation.
Below is a video interview conducted by World Press Photo back in 2011.
Though Lu’s past work has included documenting China’s marginalized groups and the issues they face, Xu told the New York Times that she doesn’t believe her husband was in Xinjiang to cover its ongoing problems. Rather, Lu was reportedly touring the region as a first-time visitor with plans to hold a workshop for local photographers.
Lu’s condition remains unknown.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)