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Chinese Dissident Files Suit

BEIJING -- A leading Chinese dissident sued the government Monday, demanding that a Beijing court halt what he described as intense police surveillance, and stop security officials from following him.


"Especially in the last few days the police have started following me everywhere, and really close behind me so that every one of my actions is affected," activist Wang Dan, 25, said in a telephone interview.


The former student leader of the 1989 Tianenmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations that were crushed by the army said he decided to file a lawsuit in a Beijing court to try to stop the harassment.


"They even follow me to the swimming pool and watch while I go swimming," said Wang, who has been a freelance writer since serving a prison term for "counterrevolution."


Wang said he was unaware of a reason for the tighter surveillance, noting he had not changed his daily activities and had made no attempts recently to contact foreigners or foreign reporters.


Police last detained Wang in August, taking him away for questioning for seven hours before releasing him.

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