Beijing police detained Wang, a former student leader and frequent contributor to overseas publications, after he signed petitions calling for the release of Tiananmen Square-era political prisoners and for new legal protections of human rights. The Hong Kong daily Lien Ho Pao reported in late July 1995 that Beijing authorities planned to prosecute Wang for inciting citizens to conduct anti-government activities, openly attacking the socialist system, disrupting public security and undermining social stability. The newspaper also reported that public security officials had collected all of Wang’s “offensive” articles published abroad as evidence against him.