China has arrested at least 30 writers – almost all of whom are women in their 20s – since February, as it clamps down on the publication of gay erotic fiction.

Under China’s strict pornography laws, writers who are found guilty of “producing and distributing obscene materials” and have earned money for their work, could face more than 10 years in prison.

One of the women targeted, who goes by the name Pingping Anan Yongfu, recounted the experience of her arrest on social media, despite being “warned not to talk about it”.

“I’ll never forget it – being escorted to the car in full view, enduring the humiliation of stripping naked for examination in front of strangers, putting on a vest for photos, sitting in the chair, shaking with fear, my heart pounding,” she wrote online.

After her post went viral, she deleted it and wrote another one acknowledging that she had broken the law before deleting her account entirely.

She is part of a group of women known for writing “danmei”, a type of erotic fiction that emerged in the 1990s and often involves a BDSM relationship between two male characters.