(Hangzhou, Zhejiang – February 6, 2024) Chinese veteran democracy activist Zhu Yufu, who has been imprisoned multiple times and faced restrictions after release, was issued a passport in March of the previous year but was restricted from leaving the country. Recently, local authorities in Zhejiang have lifted the restrictions imposed on him.
Human rights activist Ms. Wang Jianhong reported that Mr. Zhu Yufu, accompanied by his sister, departed from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport on the afternoon of February 2, 2024, and arrived in Japan to visit his ailing sister. He is currently staying at his sister’s residence.
Mr. Zhu, born in 1953 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, participated in the “1979 Democracy Movement” and the street protests during the “1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.” In 1999, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison for participating in the establishment of the Democracy Party of China. After serving his sentence, he continued his work with the democracy party. In 2012, he was charged with “subversion of state power,” and sentenced to seven years in prison for the creation of the poem “It’s Time,” which calls on people to embrace freedom.
He has been sentenced three times, totaling 17 years in prison, all without admitting guilt. During multiple of his imprisonments, he faced mistreatment by prison authorities, and he was repeatedly bullied and abused by inmates in prison. His health deteriorated significantly by the time of his release. Mr. Zhu served his sentence in Zhejiang Province No. 4 Prison.
Since being released in 2018, Mr. Zhu has been placed under house arrest by the Hangzhou authorities.
Last year, at the age of 70, Mr. Zhu received a travel document in March and obtained a visa to Japan. He had hoped to visit his sister, who resides in Sasebo, Kyushu, Japan, and is suffering from cancer. However, his passport was confiscated by local national security police before boarding the plane. In desperation, he attempted to cross the China-Vietnam border illegally but was apprehended by the Ningming Border Control Brigade in Chongzuo, Guangxi. After two days of detention, he was brought back by the Hangzhou police.
Mr. Zhu Yufu was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2023 and underwent a removal surgery. He has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy. Mr. Zhu, citing his financial situation and the need for ongoing treatment, urged the authorities to allow him to travel to Japan for further medical care, but his request was not granted at that time.