Special thanks to @BADIUCAO for the artwork!

On the eighth anniversary of the "709 Crackdown," Human Rights in China (HRIC) takes this opportunity to express our deep admiration for the women who have bravely resisted the suppression of authorities and demonstrated remarkable strength and determination. These outstanding women are defenders of human rights in China.

Among these women, some are lawyers or legal advocates who have chosen the difficult path of defending human rights. They endure harassment, surveillance, torture, and imprisonment, yet they do not waver, steadfastly pursuing fairness and justice.

There are also those who are wives of lawyers or legal advocates who have been repressed by the authorities. These women have their own successful careers and aspirations, but they have been forced onto the path of safeguarding their own and their families' freedoms. Although they themselves have become targets of repression, they have grown into resolute defenders of human rights amid the suppression.

Faced with significant upheavals in their lives caused by the authorities, including harassment, intimidation, and threats, they have experienced hesitation, grievances, fear, and self-doubt. However, they have never given up the fight. They continue to pursue their careers, take care of their families, and actively call for the freedom of their loved ones, demonstrating extraordinary resistance and unwavering resilience. Human Rights in China holds them in high esteem. We urge the Chinese authorities to cease the persecution of these women and their families.

The 2023 Winners of the Seventh "709 Human Rights Lawyer Award"

Tonyee Chow Hang-tung (邹幸彤)

Tonyee Chow Hang-tung was born in 1985 in Hong Kong. While pursuing a Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Cambridge in the UK, she discovered her interest in human rights and made the courageous decision to return to Hong Kong. She enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws Honors Program jointly offered by the University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education and the Manchester Metropolitan University. After obtaining her degree in Law, she became a barrister. In 2010, she joined the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China as a volunteer and later served as its vice-chairperson. 

In Solidarity with 709 Lawyers

Following the 709 Crackdown, on July 11, 2015, the Hong Kong Alliance issued a statement on Facebook protesting the mass arrest of human rights lawyers and demanding the immediate release of the detained lawyers. On the one-year anniversary of the 709 Crackdown, the Hong Kong Alliance, together with several other organizations, held a demonstration and protest at the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, urging the Beijing authorities to release the individuals arrested in connection with the 709 Crackdown.

On July 9, 2021, the sixth anniversary of the 709 Crackdown, Chow was brought back to West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts for bail review after being remanded. She made a statement in court and intended to speak about the 709 Crackdown. However, the judge decided to reject her bail application before she could finish. Subsequently, she issued a "6th Anniversary of the 709 Crackdown" statement in the form of a letter from prison. She stated: "In the past six years of the 709 Crackdown, what we have witnessed in the domestic civil society is a severe setback, with the vitality greatly diminished and the society only left with one official voice, devoid of diverse discussions and free thinking. Is this the Hong Kong we want to see?... Whether we approve of Hong Kong having political prisoners or say no to the regime's arbitrary arrests, the difference only lies in one thought."

Conviction

On June 3, 2021, the Hong Kong police banned the annual June Fourth vigil at Victoria Park for the second year running, again citing COVID-19 restrictions. In defiance of the ban, Chow Hang-tung encouraged people to attend June Fourth commemorations independently. The next day, the Hong Kong police arrested Chow on charges of "publicizing an unauthorized assembly." Chow was accused of promoting and encouraging public participation in related activities on social media.

On September 9, 2021, the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and several of its members were charged with "inciting subversion of state power." The members include Chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, vice-chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan, and vice chairman Chow Hang-tung. They were also accused of "failing to provide information as required."

On January 4, 2022, Chow Hang-tung was found guilty of "inciting others to knowingly participate in an unauthorized assembly" and was sentenced to 15 months in prison (10 months concurrent with another case). Chow pleaded not guilty and filed an appeal.

On December 14, 2022, High Court Justice Zhang Hui-ling granted Chow's appeal, revoking her conviction and sentence. Following this, the Department of Justice later applied for an appeal to the Court of Final Appeal. On June 8, 2023, the Court of Final Appeal commenced appeal proceedings and acknowledged the significance and far-reaching legal implications of this case. The Department of Justice was granted permission to make the ultimate appeal. The case is scheduled to be heard on November 22, 2023. 

Attention from United Nations

The United Nations has expressed concern about Chow's case. On October 12, 2021, four independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council issued a joint statement expressing concern about her being charged with incitement to subvert state power, emphasizing that the National Security Law in Hong Kong does not comply with international law and China's human rights obligations, raising concerns about Chow’s right to fair trial as well.

Awards and Honors Received 

Chow has received several awards and honors. On December 4, 2021, she was awarded the 35th Outstanding Democrat Award by the Chinese Democracy Education Foundation. On December 10, 2021, she received the Lin Zhao Memorial Award from the Independent Chinese PEN Center. On May 18, 2023, she was honored with the annual Human Rights Award by the Gwangju May 18 Memorial Foundation, the largest human rights organization in South Korea. On July 2, 2023, Chow, along with Yu Wensheng and Zhou Shifeng, jointly received the seventh "709 Human Rights Lawyer Award."

Tributes to human rights defenders in custody 

Li Yuhan (李昱函)

Born in 1951 (her lawyer claims she was actually born in 1949), Li Yuhan is from Shenyang, Liaoning Province. She obtained her lawyer's qualification in 1990 and began practicing law in Liaoning in 1991. In 2006, she was persecuted by the Shenyang City Heping District police, who were protecting a local organized crime leader, after Li reported their activities. In 2009, she was forced to relocate to Beijing and worked at the Dunxin Law Firm.

After lawyer Wang Yu was arrested in the "709 Crackdown" in 2015, Li became her attorney and repeatedly requested to meet with her, which made her a target of the authorities. On October 9, 2017, while Li was in Shenyang to handle a case, she was suddenly taken away by the Shenyang City Public Security Bureau and Heping Branch police at the train station and criminally detained on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." On November 15 of the same year, she was arrested on the same charge and detained in Shenyang No.1 Detention Center. In March 2018, she was additionally charged with the crime of "fraud."

In March 2021, during a meeting with her lawyers, Li explicitly stated that the two charges against her were baseless and solely aimed at persecuting her: the accusation of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" was based on her multiple visits to Beijing for petitions, and the charge of "fraud" was related to low-income support provided to her and her son by the local government for the sake of "maintaining stability." On October 20, 2021, her case was brought to trial in the Heping District Court of Shenyang but no verdict was announced.

Li suffers from various health issues such as cardiovascular disease and gastric problems. Her condition has worsened due to her hunger strike and subsequent force-feeding, resulting in exacerbated problems with her heart, stomach, liver, meniscus, and spine. Her lawyers have made multiple requests for her to receive medical treatment outside the detention center, all of which have been denied. On March 13, 2023, her attorney He Wei visited her in the detention center. After the meeting, the lawyer raised concerns about Li's health condition and the procedural issues related to her prolonged detention, and requested arrangements for her to receive medical examinations and possible surgeries. According to the lawyer, Li appeared to be aged, weak, and in poor health. She has been subjected to inhumane treatment and psychological abuse in the detention center, including denial of medication during medical emergencies, being allowed only cold water for bathing, and not been provided with adequate meals. Attempts by her family to deposit money for her have been rejected by the police.

Currently 73 years old, Li has been detained for nearly six years. Her lawyer and family have made repeated contact with the presiding judge to inquire about the reason for the delay in issuing a verdict, only to receive responses such as "we need to report to higher authorities."

Li was awarded the 2020 Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

Xu Yan (许艳)

Born in 1982 and a Christian, Xu Yan actively participated in and supported the 709 human rights defense cases. 

In 2014, when her husband, lawyer Yu Wensheng, was arrested on suspicion of supporting the Hong Kong "Umbrella Movement" and was detained for 99 days, Xu began to advocate for her husband's rights. After the "709 Crackdown" in 2015, Yu represented several lawyers who were arrested. In 2018, Yu was arrested for publishing the "Proposal for Constitutional Amendment" and was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" in 2020. He was released in 2022 after serving his sentence.

During this period, Xu continuously spoke out in support of her husband, demanding that the authorities disclose information about his detention and health condition. Her efforts gained international attention, and embassies of countries such as the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden in Beijing sent representatives to visit Xu and called for the release of Yu. She herself has been subjected to harassment by the authorities, with multiple summons and interrogations by the Beijing police on charges of "inciting subversion of state power." During sensitive periods such as the "Two Sessions," police stationed themselves outside Xu’s residence to monitor her. When she attempted to travel to Hong Kong with her son, the authorities denied them exit, citing potential harm to national security.

After Yu's release, the couple actively spoke out for incarcerated individuals who had been persecuted and supported the activities of human rights defenders.

On April 13, 2023, the couple was invited to participate in a meeting with the EU Delegation to China. However, they were intercepted and summoned by the police from the Shijingshan District Bajiao Police Station in Beijing on their way there, and they subsequently went missing. On April 15, both of them were criminally detained by the police from the Shijingshan District on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," and their home was searched. On May 22, they were formally arrested on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." On May 30, their lawyer was denied access to them at the detention center, and later informed that they were also facing the charge of "inciting subversion of state power." After their forced disappearance, their son has been closely monitored by authorities and is not allowed to have contact with others.

Currently, both Xu and Yu are being held at the Shijingshan District Detention Center in Beijing.

Tribute to human rights defenders who demonstrated extraordinary resistance 

Wang Yu (王宇)

Born in 1971, Wang Yu is from Ulanhot, Xing'an League, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. She graduated from the Law School of China University of Political Science and Law, and began practicing law in Beijing in May 2004. Wang is a lawyer at Beijing’s Fengrui Law Firm. 

Wang took on numerous cases involving human rights, including sensitive cases related to suppressed ethnic minorities and Falun Gong. In the early morning of July 9, 2015, Wang Yu was arrested after the police forcibly broke into her home. She was the first lawyer arrested in the "709 Crackdown." On January 8, 2016, she was arrested on the charge of subversion of state power. In August of the same year, under pressure from the authorities using her son as leverage, Wang was forced to confess on television before being released. 

On June 6, 2018, when Wang applied for a passport, she was informed by the public security bureau that she was restricted from leaving the country due to allegations of endangering national security. On August 19 in the same year, Wang was baptized as a Christian in Beijing’s Zion Church. On November 30, 2020, she received a notice from the Beijing Justice Bureau informing her of the revocation of her lawyer’s practicing certificate. On May 1, 2023, Wang took to Twitter to express her inability to acquire a passport and travel permit to Hong Kong and Macau since 2019. 

According to an article written by Wang, while in detention, she was forced to strip naked by policewomen, slapped in the face, and deprived of sleep for five days and nights until she went into shock.

Following her release, Wang has persistently utilized her Twitter platform to advocate for human rights lawyers and political prisoners who have faced detention and persecution, and has been a citizen representative of these cases. Wang said, "I believe that China will eventually move towards democracy and the rule of law, no matter how difficult the road ahead may be!" 

Wang has received several international awards for her rights defense activism, including the 2021 International Women's Courage Award from the U.S. State Department, the 2016 Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize, and the 2016 American Bar Association's first International Human Rights Award.

Wang Qiaoling (王峭岭)

Wang Qiaoling was born in 1972 in Kaifeng, Henan Province, China. She is a Christian and graduated from the Law Department of Henan University. After graduating from college, she worked as an assistant at a law firm for a year and later did pharmaceutical sales in a pharmaceutical company. After having children, she became a full time stay-at-home mother.

On July 10, 2015, Wang's husband, lawyer Li Heping, was arrested. Since then, she has been forced to relocate multiple times, her children have been unable to attend school, and her passport application has been denied. Wang wrote on Twitter that ever since the window of her small courtyard was smashed, her daughter has been scared and can only take a bowl of porridge every day.

After the 709 Crackdown in 2015, Wang, along with other wives of arrested lawyers, persistently appealed to the world to pay attention to the conditions of their husbands and the human rights situation in China. She joined Li Wenzu and other family members of the 709 Crackdown in initiation of "Thousand Miles to Find My Husband" campaign, supporting and accompanying Li Wenzu on a walk from Beijing to Tianjin to search for her husband, but was stopped by national security agents midway. They also launched the "I can go bald but you cannot be lawless" campaign and shaved their heads in protest in front of the Supreme Court.  In 2021, Wang announced her candidacy for the grassroots People's Congress representative in Beijing but had to give up due to government pressure. 

In the preface to the book "709 Articles and 500 Questions on Peaceful Transition," she wrote, "Until today, the 709 Crackdown became a burning flame in the hearts of the Chinese people, symbolizing the existence of conscience. Therefore, recalling and revealing past experiences is not to dwell in hatred and pain, but to make us realize that in the midst of suffering, we live out love."

Li Wenzu (李文足)

Li Wenzu was born in 1985 in Badong County, Enshi, Hubei Province. She previously worked as a tour guide and engaged in business activities. 

Her husband, Wang Quanzhang, was a lawyer practicing in Beijing and had represented many sensitive cases. He was arrested during the "709 Crackdown" in 2015 and secretly detained for over 1,000 days. In January 2019, he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison on charges of "subversion of state power" by the Tianjin Second Intermediate People's Court.

Her husband's arrest led Li, who had previously lived a carefree life and had no interest in politics, to embark on the path of defending rights. While taking care of their son, she dedicated herself to rescuing her husband and supporting other arrested lawyers and human rights defenders. During her husband's disappearance for three years with no information about his situation, Li traveled extensively to file complaints, accusing the authorities of illegally prohibiting her husband from meeting with his lawyers. In April 2018, on the 999th day of her husband's disappearance, she attempted to walk from Beijing to Tianjin in search of him and filed a lawsuit, but she was intercepted and brought back to Beijing by national security officers. In May 2018, Li met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to China, hoping that Merkel would inquire about the fate of Wang. In December 2018, Li and several other wives of detainees shaved their heads and protested in front of the Supreme People's Court, shouting, "I can go bald, but you cannot be lawless!".

Wang was released from prison in 2020, but he and his family continue to face surveillance and harassment from the authorities. On October 15, 2021, Li and 14 other family members and activists of the "709 Lawyers" released a joint declaration titled "Declaration of the 14 Independent Candidates in Beijing," announcing their intention to run in the upcoming elections for the People's Congress representatives in the Beijing districts and counties in November. Li wrote on Twitter, "I am the family member of a '709 case' detainee. In the six years of fighting for the '709,' my child has been expelled from school four times, passport applications have been rejected three times, and every rental has resulted in forced eviction... I deeply feel the difficulty of communicating with the public security, procuratorate, and courts. I wanted to find a member of the People's Congress to report the situation to relevant departments, but I can only see them on TV. In reality, I cannot find any member of the People's Congress." After facing suppression from the authorities making her unable to conduct a normal campaign, she announced her withdrawal from the election on November 1.

Starting in April 2023, the police intensified their surveillance and harassment of Li and her family, threatening their landlords to terminate their contracts. Over the next two months, they were forced to move more than ten times, experiencing water and power cuts as well as gas supply disruptions, making it impossible to live a normal life. They had to send their child to relatives in another city for foster care.

Li continues to use Twitter to expose her experiences of forced evictions and the harassment her family faces from local bullies and loafers hired by the government.

Shi Minglei (施明磊)

Shi Minglei was born in 1986. In 2007, she graduated from Zhengzhou University with a major in e-commerce. She has been engaged in management of internet e-commerce operations for the past 10 years and earned a decent salary. 

On July 22, 2019, in front of her and their three-year-old daughter, her husband Cheng Yuan was arrested by national security police. She was also detained, made to wear a black hood and handcuffs, and subjected to secret interrogation for nearly 20 hours. Her documents, phone, and computer were confiscated, and her bank account was frozen. She was placed under residential surveillance for 180 days on the charge of subversion of state power. Subsequently, her employer faced harassment and pressure, and she was forced to resign. Her daughter's church school was forced to close, and her daughter was unable to continue her education. In early 2021, she and her daughter managed to escape from China after enduring hardship and are currently living in the United States. 

Cheng is the founder and leader of the "Changsha Funeng," a non-profit organization in Changsha. According to the judgment of the Intermediate People's Court of Changsha, Cheng’s "lawyer's practice rights protection project" is the evidence of his subversion of state power. According to the judgment, the project's activities primarily involved organizing lawyer “salons” (gatherings) and conducting interviews of punished lawyers to understand the reasons for the revocation of their practising licenses. The purpose was to "address the current situation of the suppression of human rights lawyers after the '709 Crackdown'" training human rights lawyers, support them in establishing non-governmental organizations, and "realize the so-called Western democratic political system." 

In May 2022, Cheng wrote a letter to Shi. In the letter, Cheng wrote Tao Yuanming’s poem to allude to his experience of forced labor and abuse. Shi launched an independent investigation into forced labor at Chishan Prison. After months of investigation and collecting testimonies from witnesses, she discovered that several European and American companies were involved in Chishan Prison's forced labor, including the well-known US brand and global industry giant Milwaukee Tool, located in Wisconsin. Subsequently, Shi wrote an open letter to Milwaukee Tool as well as Amazon, Walmart, and Home Depot, companies that sell their products, and initiated a petition on change.org demanding that Milwaukee Tool stop using prisoners of conscience as slave labor in China and spread the message.

Since May 2023, independent investors of Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and the parent company of Milwaukee Tool, TTiGroup, became involved in inquiries and supervision, requesting that these companies respond to Shi's accusations of forced labor, as well as take specific actions regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) and due diligence. 

Meanwhile, Shi and her American legal team are actively preparing for litigation. This lawsuit will become the first case against American companies in regard of American companies using forced labor in Chinese prisons and will directly bring these issues to the attention of the American public.

Zhao Wei (赵威)

Zhao Wei was born in 1991 in Jiyuan City, Henan Province. She goes by the pen name "Koala." In 2013, she graduated from the Department of Journalism at Jiangxi Normal University, where she was involved in public welfare activities related to HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ rights, and gender equality. In October 2014, she joined Beijing’s Gaobo Longhua law firm as an assistant to lawyer Li Heping, who worked on legal rights protection. She has participated in rights protection activities such as the "Peng Brothers’ Justice Caravan" and "Lawyers Defending Document Access Rights at the Entrance of the Jiangxi High Court." 

On July 10, 2015, both Zhao and Li were arrested and detained. Zhao was placed under residential surveillance for six months and formally arrested on January 8, 2016, on the charge of "subverting state power." On July 7, 2016, she was released on bail pending trial. 

According to Zhao, she was subjected to continuous exhausting interrogations and coerced by public security officers with the threat of withholding basic necessities. The toilets and showers in the detention center were equipped with surveillance cameras, making her feel constantly watched and humiliated. She denies the allegation of being sexually assaulted in the detention center. 

Zhao emphasized that she did not have access to her own Weibo account during her detention and after her release. The confession letter and accusations against lawyer Ren Quanniu posted on her Weibo account were all edited and posted by the public security officers. After being released on bail, Zhao and her parents continued to live under surveillance. Surveillance cameras were installed in the house they rented in Henan by public security officers to monitor their every move. 

Zhao said: "We resist not because of immediate change, but because it gives us hope." In March 2021, Zhao arrived in the United States. She is currently studying for a certificate in legal assistance and hopes to continue working in the legal field in the future. 

On June 22, 2023, when the MeToo movement spread to the Chinese pro-democracy circle in Taiwan, Zhao posted on Facebook revealing the details of being raped by citizen journalist Zhu Ruifeng in May 2015. Zhao said, "I don't believe that one incident of sexual violence within a group can be used to tarnish the entire group. On the contrary, it is the group that tolerates sexual violence that should be discredited."