On May 19th, Xu Guang, a prominent leader of the 1989 democracy movement in China and member of the China Democracy Party in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, was released from a 4-year prison sentence. Upon his release, he made a statement urging people to “never forget June 4th.” Following this, Mao Qingxiang, a veteran democracy activist, was taken away by the police for releasing a video of Xu Guang’s release statement. His current whereabouts are unknown.
On May 22nd, Huang Jizhou from the Human Rights Observation Department of the magazine “Opposition Party” posted a message on X platform urgently calling for attention and sharing. He announced that Mao Qingxiang, co-founder of the China Democracy Party and the planner of the magazine “Opposition Party,” had been taken away by the police at the Xiaoshan Police Station in Jianggan District, Hangzhou, for sharing a video of Xu Guang just released from prison for over 40 hours. Mao Qingxiang, who is now 76 years old, has no relatives by his side and is unable to receive visits.
Public records show that Mao Qingxiang was born on May 24, 1949, in Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province. He is a member of the China Democracy Party and a human rights activist who has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times for participating in political activities.
In late 1978, Mao Qingxiang participated in the Hangzhou Democracy Wall movement, served as an editor for democratic publications such as “Zhijiang” and “East China,” and in August 1981, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison on charges of “counter-revolutionary propaganda and incitement.”
In June 1998, Mao Qingxiang participated in the establishment of the Zhejiang Preparatory Committee of the China Democracy Party and in September, proposed and edited the party’s publication “Opposition Party.” By May of the following year, 9 issues had been published. During this period, he was elected as a member of the China Democracy Party’s National Preparatory Committee. On June 19, 1999, he was detained by the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau and put under “residential surveillance” at Sanbao Detention Center, and formally arrested on September 15.
On November 9 of the same year, Mao Qingxiang was sentenced to 8 years in prison for “subverting state power” and deprived of political rights for 3 years. On December 10, the Second Trial of the Zhejiang Provincial High Court rejected the appeal and upheld the original verdict. Mao Qingxiang was released from prison on September 14, 2007, after serving his sentence.
On May 19th, Xu Guang, another prominent member of the China Democracy Party in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and a leader in the 1989 democracy movement, was also released after serving a 4-year sentence. He had staged a hunger strike in protest for 4 years while in prison and was carried back home on a stretcher upon his release.
A video circulating online shows Xu Guang with Mao Qingxiang shortly after his release. Xu Guang revealed that he had persisted with his hunger strike for 4 years and had doubted he would ever come out alive. He urged people to “never forget June 4th” and expressed his unwavering dedication to the fight for democracy, saying, “We have no regrets!”
Further updates and information on Mao Qingxiang’s situation will be closely monitored by Dajiyuan.