9 years ago, during the “709 Incident,” the Chinese Communist Party launched a massive crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists. On the last day of 2024, the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group expressed in their New Year message for 2025 that over the past decade, the rule of law continued to deteriorate. But they said they have heard the sound of the ocean and are certain that the day of freedom will come.
The message also stated, “Living beautifully and shining brightly in our own way is the greatest deconstruction of authoritarianism.”
In their New Year message released on December 31, 2024, the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group extended New Year wishes to all those living or who have lived in mainland China, especially to those who have been oppressed or deprived of freedom for advocating and defending their own or others’ rights, to legal colleagues who continue to fight for justice in unjust judicial cases, and to all legal professionals who have never lost their sense of natural justice and to friends who support the advancement and development of human rights legal protection efforts in China.
The Lawyers Group highlighted significant events in 2024, stating that the year continued the trend of deterioration from the past decade. The retirement age reform was criticized as “open exploitation of laborers,” and the amendment to the Supervision Law was seen as granting broader powers to the supervisory departments, including extending detention times and introducing mandatory measures.
The message also mentioned the increasing surveillance measures by the Chinese authorities, stating, “During the epidemic, the proficient use of social monitoring measures such as mobile phone positioning, surveillance cameras, big data, and community workers has left the helpless government lying flat in front of a populace with no ability to fight back.”
It further discussed how during China’s economic downturn, public security forces from underdeveloped regions are arresting people on a large scale in developed regions without hesitation, even going so far as to destroy a company worth tens of millions or even billions and confiscating its assets to support local economies through a “distant water fishing” style of law enforcement.
Since its establishment in 2013, the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group has been dedicated to promoting human rights protection work. They have assisted numerous individuals, ranging from victims seeking redress for personal grievances to those advocating for systemic reforms. Mr. Li, a human rights lawyer, recently told Radio Free Asia that the group has over two hundred members, but under official pressure, it has become increasingly difficult to publicly voice out for justice.
Despite the grim outlook, the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group stated in their message, “Friends, whether 2024 was joyful or melancholic, whether we parted with regret or disdain, it has already passed. This country has never lacked suffering, and we must strive to make ourselves happy. In 2025, let’s read, exercise, and love ourselves. The strong will be revealed in adversity; we need to be resilient and practice strategic intermittent waiting. If the beautiful battle is not fought now, we can rest; if victory is not achieved momentarily, it does not mean defeat. Living beautifully and shining brightly in our own way is the greatest deconstruction of authoritarianism.”