China

Arrested: Chinese delivery activist

Arrested: Chinese delivery activist

A screenshot from a Delivery Alliance Leader video

Protocol screenshot via Bilibili.com

A Chinese delivery worker who has been vocal about the need for greater labor rights protections in the industry was detained by authorities on Feb. 25, Chinese news outlets report.

The detained worker has been in the delivery business since 2018. He regularly posts short videos on prominent platforms including Weibo, Bilibili and Douyin that document the harsh working conditions of fellow delivery workers. He also hosts over a dozen WeChat groups for thousands of workers. In 2019, the local police detained him for 26 days for organizing an unsuccessful strike, he told Chinese media Jizhou.

The anonymous delivery worker who uses the handle "The Leader of Delivery Rider Alliance (外送江湖骑士联盟盟主)" on social media was reportedly taken away by authorities in Beijing on Thursday night. An unnamed employee at Ele.me, the Alibaba-owned food delivery app in China and the country's second largest, has confirmed the news to Chinese financial news outlet Lanjing. The reason for the arrest is unclear and there has been no official announcement.

In a February video watched over a million times across platforms, the "alliance Leader" exposed the delivery app Ele.me for deceptive holiday overtime bonus plans. Ele.me has since apologized publicly and modified its bonus policies.

Zeyi Yang

Zeyi Yang is a former reporter with Protocol | China. Previously, he worked as a reporting fellow for the digital magazine Rest of World, covering the intersection of technology and culture in China and neighboring countries. He has also contributed to the South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asia, Columbia Journalism Review, among other publications. In his spare time, Zeyi co-founded a Mandarin podcast that tells LGBTQ stories in China. He has been playing Pokemon for 14 years and has a weird favorite pick.

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