Wang Jingyu was in Istanbul when he used his Weibo account to ask the Chinese government why it had taken eight months to acknowledge the deaths of four Chinese soldiers in a border clash with Indian troops.

Within half an hour, Chinese police arrested his parents in Chongqing, China, and searched their home, taking his parents’ iPad and computer. His parents were held until midnight and released, only to be summoned the next day when they were detained all day again. Chinese agents told Wang’s parents to call him and ask him to come back to China and surrender. When Voice of America published Wang’s story, his parents completely disappeared.