(Jingzhou, Hubei Province- March 12, 2024) Lawyer Ding Jiaxi is one of the longest-serving civil rights activists repressed by the Chinese Communist Party. Ding Jiaxi was sentenced to 12 years, and his companion Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years. Concerns have been raised about the conditions of the prison where Ding Jiaxi is serving his sentence.
According to updates from his wife Sophie Luo Shengchun, who resides in the United States, a lawyer met Ding Jiaxi in the meeting room of Jiangbei Prison in Hubei Province on February 29. Ding Jiaxi expressed his initial opinions on his appeal and agreed to further discuss the details of the evidence in April. Ding Jiaxi said the prison food was better than in the detention center, he could exercise and read, but the selection of reading materials was very limited. He hoped the lawyer could bring him a pair of reading glasses at the next meeting.
Ding Jiaxi expressed his gratitude for the concern shown by his relatives and friends.
When Ding Jiaxi was first imprisoned, his wife Sophie Luo Shengchun pointed out that his right to communication was not guaranteed, and family members did not receive any letters from him. After entering Jiangbei Prison, Ding Jiaxi has been held in solitary confinement, has to write homework every day, and has no communication rights.
Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong participated in a private “Xiamen gathering” at the beginning of December 2019 to discuss civil society and current affairs issues. Two weeks later, on December 26, they were detained by the authorities and held in the Linyi County Detention Center in Shandong Province, where they were subjected to torture. On April 10, 2023, the Linyi County Court in Shandong Province tried the case of Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong. Ding Jiaxi was sentenced to 12 years for “subverting state power,” and Xu Zhiyong, a co-defendant and founder of the New Citizen Movement, was sentenced to 14 years for the same charge.
On January 4, 2024, the family learned that Ding Jiaxi had been sent to Jiangbei Prison in Hubei Province to serve his sentence, but their request for a visit was denied. After two months of effort, Ding’s sister received notification of his imprisonment. The family drove for several hours with their elderly mother to the Ninth Prison Area, only to be told that the visit was not allowed and had to wait for approval from higher authorities. Ding Jiaxi’s wife Luo Shengchun had asked family members to hand her letter over to him but was also informed that it is awaiting review by higher authorities.
The Chinese regime’s punishment of advocates for Chinese rights movements is exceptionally severe. Ding Jiaxi is one of the key activists in the New Citizen Movement. In 2014, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months for “gathering crowds to disturb public order.” The brutal sentencing of Ding Jiaxi, demonstrates the Chinese government hostility toward peaceful activities promoting individual freedom and the rule of law. Governments around the world should jointly call on the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release these two respected human rights lawyers.
Information on how to write letters to Ding Jiaxi in prison can be found here.
