11:05 ET<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\nFrance and Germany have called for the immediate release of a Chinese artist and dissident, detained in China.<\/p>\n
Ai Weiwei has not been seen since he was stopped passing through security checks at Beijing airport for a flight to Hong Kong on Sunday.<\/p>\n
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called on China for an “urgent explanation” of his fate.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the French foreign ministry said the country was “very concerned” about his disappearance.<\/p>\n
“We hope he will be released as soon as possible,” Bernard Valero said, adding that the French government was following events “very closely”.<\/p>\n
The authorities have not commented on the detention of the internationally acclaimed artist, who has now been missing for more than 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Vocal critic<\/strong><\/p>\nHis wife told Agence France Press on Monday that police in Beijing had refused to disclose why they detained the artist.<\/p>\n
Mr Westerwelle, who has just returned from a visit to Beijing and Tokyo, said he had impressed on Chinese leaders the importance of freedom of opinion and human rights during his trip.<\/p>\n
“I call for an urgent explanation from the Chinese government and expect Ai Weiwei to be released without delay,” he said.<\/p>\n
Human rights group Amnesty International said Mr Ai’s arrest showed that “China’s time for open dissent has come to an end”.<\/p>\n
It called his detention a “troubling development” symptomatic of a “widening crackdown on dissent” across the country.<\/p>\n
The artist, who has become one of China’s most outspoken critics, complaining about a lack of human rights, was detained on Sunday morning while travelling with an assistant, Jennifer Ng.<\/p>\n
House arrest<\/strong><\/p>\nThe documents of both were checked thoroughly before Ms Ng was allowed to continue on her journey to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
She has told the BBC that Mr Ai was taken away by border guards and she was told to board the flight alone.<\/p>\n
Police officers later raided the artist’s Beijing studio, confiscating dozens of items and questioning several people.<\/p>\n
Mr Ai helped design the main stadium used in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, known as the Bird’s Nest.<\/p>\n
His work often has political connotations and he has also lent his vocal support to others who have tackled the authorities.<\/p>\n
Last year, the 53-year-old was prevented from travelling abroad and, in a separate incident, briefly held under house arrest. <\/p>\n
He has been under constant surveillance and, according to his assistant, the police had visited his compound three times recently, prompting him to suspect he would soon be detained again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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