Australian says China stopped trip to Nobel ceremony

SYDNEY - Zhang Heci, an Australian citizen, complained Wednesday that Chinese authorities detained him at Shanghai airport while he was on his way to Oslo to attend the award ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Zhang said he was detained for 24 hours on his arrival in Shanghai and obliged to return to Australia.

He said he had a valid visa and was a frequent visitor to China.

In an open letter to Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, Zhang said he was denied contact with Australian consular officials during his detention in Shanghai.

“They have no right to cut off my journey to Oslo to attend Liu Xiaobo’s ceremony,” he said in a letter published on the Human Rights in China website. “Instead they forced me to return to Australia, and before that, engaged in torturous mistreatment of me.”

The award ceremony will take place in Oslo Friday.