Labour activists missing in China after suspected coordinated raids

On Friday, unidentified men grabbed Zhang Shengye, a recent Peking University graduate, on the university's campus at around 10:30 p.m. and bundled him into a car, according to a witness and screenshots of posts, apparently written by students, on the university's internal messaging board. The posts were later deleted.

A video circulated on social media by a Peking University student who said he was at the scene and who described what happened to Zhang.

"I heard one of them yell 'that's him, shove him into the car', and then I saw three to five people grab a student and bundle him into a car," the student says in the video.

He said he and other students who were nearby were pushed to the ground and prevented from leaving until they deleted any photos or videos of the scene.

Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, which showed no pictures of Zhang's suspected detention.

A Peking University spokesman confirmed that someone had been detained but said the incident did not involve teachers or students.

"Public security organs in accordance with law seized non-campus affiliated persons suspected of committing a crime," the spokesman said.

Zhang had been in southern China in August to protest against the treatment of the Jasic factory workers and had been involved in a wide range of social issues on campus.

"We aren't solely focused on one particular issue. We're interested in improving society in all kinds of ways, whether it is improving the lives of factory workers, fighting for gender equality or advocating for environmental sustainability," Zhang told Reuters on Aug. 23 in a crowded apartment in a village that primarily houses migrant workers in Huizhou.