Chinese police are focusing their investigation into five detained female activists on campaigns they were involved in over recent years, not their latest bid to highlight sexual harassment on public transport, lawyers said Wednesday.
The five were taken into custody on the weekend of International Women's Day, March 8, and later detained on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," their lawyers said, a charge that carries a prison term of up to five years.
The United States, Britain and the European Union have condemned the detentions, prompting China to call on other countries to respect its judicial sovereignty.