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Chinese Artist, Ai Weiwei, to Repay Donations Chinese Artist, Ai Weiwei, to Repay Donations
(about 9 hours later)
Ai Weiwei, the artist who was accused of tax evasion, said he will begin paying back the $1.4 million he collected from thousands of supporters, some of whom tossed money over the wall of his home studio to help him pay the bond for his tax appeal. Mr. Ai has described his 81-day detention and the subsequent fine of $2.4 million as a desperate attempt by the government to silence him. Mr. Ai has always said he considered the donations to be loans and decided to begin repayment after losing a final appeal of the case last month, according to a message he posted Wednesday on Twitter. Ai Weiwei, the artist who was accused of tax evasion, said he will begin paying back the $1.4 million he collected from thousands of supporters, some of whom tossed money over the wall of his home studio to help him pay the bond for his tax appeal. Mr. Ai has described his 81-day detention and the subsequent fine of $2.4 million as a desperate attempt by the government to silence him. Mr. Ai has always said he considered the donations to be loans, but decided to begin repayment after losing a final appeal of the tax case last month, he said Thursday. “We are really thankful for what people did, which is remarkable in today’s China,” he said by phone. “It’s one thing to have sympathy for our cause, but it’s another to act and send money.”