Man detained for threatening Nanjing selfies whistleblower

A man in Tengzhou, Shandong province, has been detained for seven days for threatening an internet user who reported people posing for pictures in imperial Japanese military uniforms, Nanjing police released on Friday.

According to the Xuanwu district police bureau in Nanjing, the man surnamed Ding threatened and insulted internet user Shangdizhiying_5zn, which means God's eagle, and his family members on his Sina Weibo.

Ding felt angry that God's eagle, whose real surname was Meng, reported at least two times people dressed in imperial Japanese military uniforms for selfies, and wanted to prevent Meng from reporting similar incidents, police said.

Meng reported Feb 20 on his Sina Weibo that two men wore uniforms of the Imperial Japanese Army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and posed for pictures in front of a Nanjing memorial site where many Chinese died fighting the invading Japanese. The two men have been detained for 15 days.

Meng also reported that some Chinese posed for pictures in Imperial Japanese Army uniforms in front of Shanghai's Sihang Warehouse, which was used to repel the Japanese army in 1937. Five people were detained or given warnings in August.

Police said that reporting illegal acts are people's basic rights and are protected by China's laws. Anyone threatening, insulting and taking revenge on whistleblowers and their family members, or hurting the feelings of others and the nation, will be severely punished.