Australian government says Guo, who was at Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, is being held for 15 days on 'visa matter'

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A Chinese-born Australian artist detained in Beijing ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre will be deported after 15 days in custody, according to Australia's government.

Guo Jian, a former protester in China's 1989 pro-democracy movement, was taken away by Chinese authorities on Sunday shortly after a profile of him appeared in the Financial Times newspaper commemorating the anniversary of the crackdown.

Australia's foreign affairs department said consular officials seeking an explanation for Jian's detention were allowed to visit him in Beijing. "Chinese authorities have advised Mr Guo was detained on a visa-related matter," the department said in a statement.

"We understand Mr Guo will be detained for 15 days and then required to depart China." The Australian government would provide consular help during his detention, the statement said.

Guo told an Associated Press reporter as he was taken away from his home in suburban Beijing on Sunday night that he would be held by police until 15 June.

It was part of a string of detentions of artists, lawyers, scholars and journalists ahead of the Tiananmen anniversary amid intense government efforts to deter coverage by international media.

After a stint as a soldier Guo was studying art in Beijing when he was swept into the 1989 student protests and witnessed the military crackdown that began on the night of 3 June.

Discussions of the protest and its military suppression are taboo in China and authorities tighten security ahead of the anniversary each year. This year was harsher than in previous years as police rounded up activists who had received only warnings in the past.