Legal activist Jiang Tianyong disappeared in November after publicizing the plights of the families of lawyers who had been detained in a crackdown on rights activists. State media later said he was accused of inciting subversion of state power, a common charge against those viewed as challenging the Communist Party's monopoly on power.
Jiang's wife Jin Bianling said Friday that police officials in the central city of Changsha handed over a statement from Jiang dismissing his family-appointed lawyers.
Calls to the Changsha Public Security Bureau rang unanswered Friday.