Lawyers representing Liu Hu, a reporter who was put under criminal detention for allegedly fabricating rumors, have sent a letter detailing legal arguments on behalf of their client to the Beijing Public Security Bureau and have called for those handling the case to release Liu.

On Thursday afternoon, Liu's defense lawyers, Zhou Ze and Si Weijiang, handed over the letter after they held a meeting with Liu on Wednesday.

"Liu's real-name tip-offs are not included within the scope of 'a crime of starting quarrels and provoking trouble,'" Zhou told the Global Times, in reference to online tip-offs made by Liu, which targeted senior officials.

Zhou said that under the previous arrest warrant presented by the Beijing police on August 23, they detained Liu under the crime of "starting quarrels and provoking trouble" on public occasions.

According to the Chinese criminal law, such a crime includes physically assaulting others or chasing after, intercepting, abusing or threatening others; destroying public property, or creating a disturbance in public places.

Violators can be given sentences ranging from five to 10 years.

Later, Beijing police said via their official Weibo account that Liu was arrested "under suspicion of spreading rumors," Zhou noted.

On July 29, Liu posted a report on Weibo, accusing Ma Zhengqi, a deputy head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, of involvement in a deal that allegedly caused a huge loss of State assets during Ma's tenure in Chongqing.

Zhou wrote that "Liu using his real-name to report officials is exercising his right of supervision over civil servants."

Beijing police refused to comment on the case when reached by the Global Times, saying "the case is still under investigation."

The case was part of a nationwide campaign against online rumormongers conducted by both central and local public security bureaus.

There has been a nationwide campaign to crack down on organized online rumormongers in recent months, including arrests of around 170 suscpects in Shanghai so far this year.

In Hebei, police removed 124 online rumors, and detained 11 suspects. Shanxi police investigated 144 cases of online rumors, detaining 49 people.

Several Internet celebrities have also been detained in recent days for being suspected of spreading rumors online, such as Qin Huohuo and self-proclaimed whistle-blower Zhou Lubao.