Meet the truthtellers
Chen Mei was perhaps an unlikely hero of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chen Mei
- Chen Mei
- What he did
- Archived and republished articles about the early days of the coronavirus on Terminus 2049, including interviews with Ai Fen and Li Wenliang, and a Caixin investigation into the early days of the outbreak.
- What happened
- Detained on April 19, 2020, and charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He is still awaiting trial.
A shy but passionate zoology graduate, he worked for a non-profit that helps people with hearing loss, according to his brother Chen Kun. He loved cats and kept a low profile online, said a friend who asked not to be named out of fear of punishment from the authorities.
“He was never the initiator of projects — he always played the supporting role,” said Chen Kun.
But with Terminus 2049 he made an exception.
“You might have to be more cautious…