BEIJING — A Chinese-born scholar from American University in Washington has been detained by Chinese police for nearly six weeks, and her husband and 5-year-old son were held separately for more than a month before being reunited and allowed to leave China, a human rights group said Wednesday.

Gao Zhan was picked up Feb. 11 at the Beijing airport with her husband and son as they were leaving after a family visit, Human Rights in China said. Her husband, Xue Donghua, and son were released 26 days later and returned to the United States.

Word of Gao's detention came as President Bush was preparing to meet this week with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen. Human Rights in China appealed to Bush to ask Qian to have Gao released.

Gao, a political scientist, is the third Chinese-born researcher in as many years to be detained during a visit home. A Stanford University expert on China's military who was arrested in 1998 was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison on espionage charges.

In a statement released by Human Rights in China, Gao's husband said police questioned him repeatedly about her research and two visits she made to rival Taiwan.

Xue said police refused to tell him why his wife was detained. He said police refused to let him see their son unless he provided damaging information about her.

"I completely believe that my wife is innocent," Xue was quoted as saying.

The U.S. Embassy declined comment, citing privacy laws. But a spokesman said the human rights group's account was consistent with its information.

Gao's son is a U.S. citizen, but authorities failed to inform the embassy of his detention as required by treaty, according Human Rights in China. It quoted Xue as saying his son was traumatized by being held separately from his parents.

Chinese police refused to comment.

Gao also is treasurer of the Association of Chinese Political Studies, an American scholarly group.

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Another U.S.-based researcher in Chinese custody is Hua Di, a former military official and expert on China's nuclear and missile programs at Stanford. Hua was sentenced to prison last month on charges of leaking state secrets, his family says.

Hua fled China after criticizing the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. His family said he had received assurances that he could safely return.

In a separate case, a Chinese-born librarian from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania was detained in 1999 while doing research on the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.

Song Yongyi was accused of stealing state secrets but released after six months. Chinese authorities claimed he confessed and repented, though Song later denied having committed any crime.

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