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Chinese gov't shuts down Ai Weiwei's site

Ai Weiwei, 54, one of China's most prominent avant-garde artists and human rights activists, poses for a portrait in his Beijing studio on April 25, 2009. UPI File Photo/Stephen Shaver
Ai Weiwei, 54, one of China's most prominent avant-garde artists and human rights activists, poses for a portrait in his Beijing studio on April 25, 2009. UPI File Photo/Stephen Shaver | License Photo

BEIJING, April 5 (UPI) -- Chinese artist Ai Weiwei says his surveillance Web site, protesting his treatment by Chinese authorities, was shut down by the Chinese government.

The site, weiweicam.com, provided a 24-hour live feed piped in from cameras Ai set up over his computer, bed and courtyard of his Beijing home. Soon after it went live, it was blacked out.

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"The Web site has been shut down by order of public security," Ai told CNN.

The famous 54-year-old artist has had many run-ins with communist Chinese authorities after being detained for 81 days over back taxes the government said he owed through his company, Fake Cultural Development Ltd.

The designer of the iconic Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing was ordered to pay $2.38 million to the government, or his wife would be detained. He paid $1.3 million to contest the charges.

Human rights advocates say Ai was been unfairly targeted by authorities because of his criticism of the regime.

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