WASHINGTON -- Dissident artist Ai Weiwei says the situation is "getting really bad" for activists inside China as there's no rule of law for anyone who touches on political issues.
Ai was speaking Wednesday at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York.
The artist, who was detained in 2011 for his outspoken views on human rights, says that even lawyers are facing jail for defending activists against wrongful accusations.
Ai said: "If you touch any political issues, there's no such thing as rule of law ... There is almost no space."
Chinese authorities withheld his passport for four years but returned it to him in July 2015. He now works from a studio in Germany and has travelled the world to document the plight of refugees and migrants.
