Dr. Xu Zhiyong is a prominent civil rights activist in China. He co-founded the New Citizen’s Movement, a collection of lawyers and activists that demand civil rights protections and Rule of Law. Dr. Xu served four years in prison for his legal activism in 2013 and was released in 2017.

During the coronavirus outbreak, he publicly criticized the Chinese government’s response and their censorship of whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) detained four of Dr. Xu’s acquaintances in December of 2019, and he began a life on the run. Authorities found him after 50 days in Panyu District, Guangdong Province, and placed him on residential surveillance.

A LIFETIME OF BRAVE ACTIVISM

In February of 2021, Li Qiaochu, Dr. Xu’s girlfriend, revealed on social media that he was being tortured while in residential surveillance. Ms. Li posted:

“I am crying while I write this update. For more than a week, CCP agents had tied Dr. Xu to an iron chair for ten hours a day. They deprived him of water and food. When escorting him back to his cell, guards covered his head with a black material beneath a heavy helmet.”

SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IN JAIL

On April 10th, 2023, Dr. Xu was given a 14-year prison sentence for ‘subverting state power,’ with 8 years of deprivation of political rights.

On November 24th, the Linshu County People’s Court upheld the original sentence. During the same month, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe awarded its Human Rights Award 2023 to Dr. Xu and two other human rights defenders. 

Despite his persecution, Dr. Xu remains steadfast. “I’m proud to suffer for the sake of freedom, justice, and love.” Xu once wrote.

FAMILY PRISONER VISITS BLOCKED

A short time later, Dr. Xu was transferred to Lunan Prison in Rizhao City. As of late February 2024, his family was still blocked from visiting him, and reported they had not received any letters from Dr. Xu.