One man has been arrested and two others are missing after investigating a Chinese company that produces Ivanka Trump-brand shoes, according to a report on Tuesday.
Hua Haifeng was arrested on charges of illegal surveillance, according to Haifeng’s wife, Deng Guilian who said she was informed Tuesday afternoon via phone call from the police. Police told her the details weren’t important for her to know, only that she is no longer allowed contact or financial support from her husband, the Associated Press reports.
Li Qiang, the executive director for China Labor Watch, the New York-based nonprofit investigating the factory, said he lost contact with Hua Haifeng and the other two investigators over the weekend. After dozens of attempts to reach them, Qiang told the Associated Press he believes “they must be held either by the factory, or the police to be unreachable.”
China Labor Watch, was planning on publishing reports alleging excessive overtime, student intern misuse and inadequate pay, according to the report. It is not clear whether the investigation was done legally following Chinese laws.
All three men were investigating Ganzhou Huajian International Shoe City Company’s factory in Jiangxi province.
Ivanka Trump’s brand declined to comment to the Associated Press.
