Ai Weiwei, China's best-known artist, remains missing more than a day after he was detained. Police have confiscated dozens of items from his studio. I have a issues with what I see as a blatant infringement of human rights in the shape of free speech.

I may not agree with the rantings of Islamist clerics, members of the Westboro Baptist church or Adele the singer, but I wholly support their right to say it. Along with the EDL and all these horrible oiks, our speech is free, for it makes us who we are. In the shape of those I just mentioned, it makes them massive toss rags, and for others it liberates them. Martin Luther King, Gandhi etc were all resented by the powers that were, but their voices rose above the clamour, and changed the world. We have to take the rough with the smooth on this one if we want to live in a better world.

Ai Weiwie, the 53-year-old artist, has repeatedly clashed with authorities owing to his criticism of the government.  He was thought to enjoy leniency in comparison to most thanks to his father's status as a revered poet and his own high international profile. Ignoring the blatant nepotism, the issue here is surely that it has necessitated the disappearance of this high profiled individual to make the world take notice.

Human rights abuses have been quite rampant in China, yet I see no effort from the international community to publicly condemn these actions. Maybe it is due to fear of China or maybe it is the lack of oil, who knows? It takes guts to stand up and say what you believe in, and that Weiwei did so publicly is to be commended. But the actions of the Government just show the paranoia that comes with power.

His wife said:

“…everything that Ai did was very public, and if they wanted to know his opinions and work they could just look at the internet."

She also said police gave no indication of her husband's whereabouts or why he was being held. It makes me think of the black bags that are used in V for Vendetta to erase dissenters from the populace.

Ai created last year's Sunflower Seeds installation at the Tate Modern turbine hall in London. I was so excited about going to see that, and gutted that I missed the ability to actually touch them. I had to view them from a distance and that was sad. But none the less beautiful.

Weiwei said, in regards to retribution for his work:

"I have to deal with it, but not to prepare for it, because it is a kind of stupidity. If you prepare for it too much, you become a part of it."

His detention comes amid a widespread crackdown on activists and dissidents in China, and the only hope we have is that the Chinese government concede that such a disappearance shan’t go unnoticed, and will release him. For a man who has done so much for the nation internationally, who helped shape their stunning Bird’s Nest stadium, it would be an indicator of the scary world we live in if his light was extinguished for simply voicing his opinion.

- Anand