July 9 marked the start of Beijing’s mass persecution directed at China’s human rights lawyers in 2015, called the “709 crackdown.” On its sixth anniversary, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken vowed that the United States will always buttress them to build a more just, stable, and prosperous Chinese society.
“On the anniversary of the crackdown on human rights lawyers and rights defenders in China, the Chairs call for the immediate release of all detained lawyers, including Zhou Shifeng, Yu Wensheng, Li Yuhan, Xia Lin, Ding Jiaxi, Qin Yongpei, and Chang Weiping and for these cases to be raised by the United States and at the United Nations. The Chairs further call for renewed diplomatic efforts to seek information on the status of Gao Zhisheng—arbitrarily detained, tortured, and missing since August 2017.”
China’s Human Rights Situation ‘Continues to Worsen’
Wang Yu was the first lawyer to be illegally detained by the campaign in the early hours of July 9, 2015. Her husband and her then 15-year-old son were also arrested on the same day. Wang was then tortured and forced to perform a televised confession when police threatened her son to intimidate her.“For years, China’s human rights situation has continued to worsen,” Wang told The Epoch Times.
In the interview, Wang also expressed her heartfelt thanks to all supporters—domestic and international—for their attention to the persecution suffered by China’s human rights lawyers under the regime’s campaign.
Wang had acted on behalf of China’s vulnerable groups in numerous cases, including those impacted by the persecution of Falun Gong—a traditional Chinese meditation discipline that promotes the values truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
In June 2015, Wang proclaimed her support to China’s Falun Gong adherents who had filed lawsuits with the supreme court against Jiang Zemin, then-Chinese leader, on a charge of genocide against the Falun Gong population.
On Nov. 26, 2020, she was disbarred by the Beijing Municipality Bureau of Justice.
Many Still in Prison
In his statement, Blinken mentioned the names of four lawyers, including Xu Zhiyong, Ding Jiaxi, Li Yuhan, and Yu Wensheng, who are being detained or imprisoned.Based on the public information available, both Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi are being held at the Linshu County Detention Center in northern China’s Shandong province, Li Yuhan is detained at the Shenyang Municipality No. 1 Detention Center in northeastern China’s Liaoning province, and Yu Wensheng is imprisoned at the Nanjing Municipality Prison in southeastern China’s Jiangsu province.
Yu’s wife, Xu Yan, told The Epoch Times that the persecution by Chinese authorities on the country’s lawyers has been brutal in the past six years and is continuing. As a result of the “709 crackdown,” some lawyers have been disbarred, effectively destroying their careers after their release.
She added that currently, her husband’s health is deteriorating in prison. He had developed a shaky right hand, which is too weak to write, to brush his teeth, or hold chopsticks at dinner, as well as high blood pressure and kidney stones.
The Staunch Wives
Xu Yan is not alone in supporting her imprisoned husband.After many of China’s human rights lawyers were thrown into detention centers, their wives across the country sprang into action, including Wang Qiaoling, Li Wenzu, and Yuan Shanshan.
This small circle of wives united to petition the judicial authorities. They visited detention facilities, police stations, and courts, and launched protests demanding the government recognize their spouses’ legal rights and release their husbands.
Wang Qiaoling, the wife of rights lawyer Li Heping, told The Epoch Times that the impact of the “709 crackdown” on her family was huge, especially on her husband’s physical and mental health while she suffered a lot as well as his spouse.
She revealed that the family faced strict restrictions even after Li’s release, including their child’s school life and Li’s travel.
She said she has been able to get through the difficulty with family support and from confronting her challenges in a positive manner. In the process, she has also met other women facing a similar situation with whom she has forged great friendships.
“We’re proud of the past when we were together in the fight for just treatment,” Wang said. Being in the same boat, she said the women have encouraged each other to stay positive.
Never Give Up
Chinese human rights lawyers continue to play their different roles even though many of them have been disbarred, face travel restrictions, or struggle to make a living.
Xie said in an interview with The Epoch Times that the past six years have proven to him that any tyranny, evil, or injustice is doomed to failure. He believes that the power of the awakening Chinese people is unstoppable, and that dictatorships will never be able to beat citizens’ pursuit of freedom, dignity, and justice.
“A democratic China pursuing the supremacy of human rights and rule of law represents the common interests and welfare of all of us and our future generations, regardless of personal social status,” the lawyer said.
