Documentary filmmaker and blogger Hao Wu '95 was freed by Chinese authorities July 11 after being held for 140 days, according to posts in his sister's blog. Wu, who received a master's in molecular and cell biology at Brandeis, was arrested in Beijing on Feb. 22 for reasons that remain unclear.According to Reporters Without Borders, a watchdog group that tracks allegations of freedom of the press abuses and campaigned for Hao's release, the Beijing Public Security Bureau never revealed the specific reason for Hao's arrest, stating only that he had committed "a breach of national security" and was under "house arrest."

According to blog posts by his sister (http://wuhaofamily.spaces.live.com), Na "Nina" Wu, immediately before his arrest Hao, 34, had been preparing a documentary on a Protestant church in Beijing that is not recognized by the Chinese government. Hao was held in isolation and was barred from speaking with a lawyer for nearly five months, according to a July report by reporters without Borders,

Hao, who still lives in China, declined to comment via e-mail and he has not posted on his English-language blog, "Beijing or Bust," since his arrest.

The Wall Street Journal reports Hao also became known among bloggers for defending the Chinese government against Western arguments for advancing free speech in China.

Na wrote in her blog that Hao was not allowed to receive visits from or speak with relatives while in detention. Through blog posts and direct appeals to the Chinese government, she began campaigning in the spring for Hao's release, aided by several other bloggers and human rights activists.

"His dream is for speaking out freely, and for making films ... to let people in other countries see what was really happening in China," Na told The Wall Street Journal in March. "He knows there are some problems here, but he loves China and thinks things are getting better and better."

Hao was born in Chengdu in Western China, and returned to Beijing in 2004 after studying and working in the United States for 12 years. His posts on Beijing or Bust (http://beijingorbust.blogspot.com)-which shares its name with his 2004 documentary about American-born ethnic Chinese living in Beijing-are both political and personal, and most recently documented his frustration with curtailments of the freedoms of religious groups in China.

"Based on my observation, most Chinese don't care about freedom of speech that much, with wealth-making being the current king," Hao wrote in a Feb. 17 post.