Shi, an editor with the Beijing-based China Economic Times newspaper in Beijing, was taken from his home by National Security Ministry personnel on September 5. The Security Ministry did not give an explanation for the arrest, nor did it inform Shi’s family where he was being held. A leading voice in Beijing journalism, Shi is also the editor of the best-selling book Political China: Facing the Era of Choosing a New Structure, a groundbreaking collection of 39 essays by journalists, academics, and former government officials calling for political reform. Sources in China fear that Shi was arrested as a result of his work on the book. A Shanghai native, he was imprisoned in 1989 for his role in the Tiananmen Square democracy movement. He was released in 1991. As of December 31, no charges had been announced against Shi, and he had not been tried or convicted of any crime.