PEN’s Free Expression Digest brings you a daily curated round-up of the most important free expression-related stories from around the web. Please send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]

China arrests prominent woman rights lawyer for subversion
Chinese authorities have formally arrested China’s most prominent woman human rights lawyer, accusing her of subverting the state, her lawyer said on Wednesday. The lawyer, Wang Yu, was taken into custody last July and accused of inciting subversion and “causing a disturbance”. Wang is the best-known human rights lawyer targeted in an unprecedented nationwide sweep by Chinese police last July, during which hundreds of lawyers were detained. REUTERS

Samar Badawi released from Saudi detention
A day after being detained in Saudi Arabia, human rights lawyer Samar Badawi has been released from detention. Her reported arrest is thought to have stemmed from her involvement in Saudi human rights campaigning. Samar Badawi’s release came just a day after she was reportedly arrested and interrogated by Saudi officials. She was accused of handling the Twitter account of Waleed Abu al-Khair, her ex-husband, and campaigning for his release. DEUTSCHE WELLE

Gaza journalist says he was tortured in Hamas jail
After nine days in jail, Palestinian journalist Ayman al-Aloul says he won’t be writing about politics anymore. He said a painful experience that included beatings and being forced to sit uncomfortably in a tiny chair has made him a “new man” and that he will now focus on less controversial topics. “I’ve decided not to talk about the general situation anymore,” al-Aloul said in an interview on Tuesday. “The experience I went through was very difficult.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

China arrests Swedish rights campaigner
The family and friends of Swedish human rights campaigner Peter Dahlin, 35, are demanding his release from Beijing. Dahlin disappeared on the night of Jan. 3 on his way to Beijing’s international airport. On Wednesday, the Chinese government confirmed Dahlin was in custody and said the Beijing-based activist was being held on suspicion of “endangering state security”. Dahlin’s Chinese girlfriend has also reportedly disappeared. THE GUARDIAN

Belarusian journalist convicted of “illegal” reporting
A court in Belarus has found journalist Larisa Shchiryakova guilty of “illegal dissemination of media products” and fined her about $250. The court said Shchiryakova “illegally interviewed” residents of a Belarusian village for a channel that broadcasts from neighboring Poland. The government has routinely gone after journalists who seek to skirt state censorship by broadcasting from outside the country. Last year, 28 journalists in Belarus were hit with hefty fines. ABC NEWS

The death of Naji Jerf and the battle facing Syria’s citizen journalists
Last month, Naji Jerf, a 38-year-old Syrian anti-Islamic State activist and journalist, was shot in broad daylight in the middle of a busy Turkish street. He was murdered in Gaziantep, a city near the Syrian border. In 2012, Turkey quickly became a haven for hundreds of Syrian media outlets, but the Committee to Protect Journalists said recently that Syrian journalists felt the country was becoming increasingly unsafe for them. BBC NEWS