China expels German student who researched rights lawyers

China detained about 300 people nationwide on July 9, 2015, as part of its biggest crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists.

China has expelled a German graduate student who conducted research on human rights lawyers detained in a 2015 crackdown.

David Missal was pursuing a master’s degree in journalism and communication at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University. He is due to return to Germany on Sunday after immigration authorities told him last week that his student visa was canceled.

The 24-year-old says a Tsinghua representative this year warned him twice against pursuing the politically sensitive subject, but he went ahead anyway because he wanted to “get to learn Chinese society and politics.”

China detained about 300 people nationwide on July 9, 2015, as part of its biggest crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists. Several received lengthy sentences for subversion of state power while a few still await sentencing.