On July 15th, local time, the Chairman of the China Democracy Party International Alliance, Jie Lijian, was followed and attacked by three Asian men with sticks in Flushing, New York. He sustained severe head injuries, lost consciousness for more than two days, and is currently undergoing observation and treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital in New York. Less than a week before the incident, he led a lawsuit against the Chinese Communist government regarding the assault on protesters outside the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles.
On July 18th, around 6 p.m. local time, as a friend concerned about Jie Lijian’s situation, a reporter from Epoch Times tried to contact him but couldn’t reach him. In the afternoon of the 19th, Jie Lijian proactively called the reporter; he urgently wanted to speak out to the public: in the face of the CCP’s transnational repression, we will not be afraid.
Recalling the events of July 15th, Jie Lijian mentioned that he initially noticed several people following him and tried to speed up to get away. The three Asian men followed him all the way to the vicinity of the Flushing Botanical Garden, an area near a residential neighborhood but with fewer pedestrians. Jie Lijian had planned to cross that area and transfer to a bus to shake off the pursuers, but before he could board the bus, the attackers caught up with him and struck him repeatedly with stick-like objects.
Despite the pain, Jie Lijian continued to run forward. Luckily, a bus approached, and he stumbled onto it, sitting down before losing consciousness. When he woke up again, he was in the hospital’s ICU, having been unconscious for over two days until around July 18th. According to the doctor’s account, paramedics found him severely injured on the bus and promptly took him to the hospital.
The main injury for Jie Lijian was to his head, and his legs were also hit with sticks. X-rays revealed no fractures, but he is still unable to walk, with doctors continuing to monitor his condition. He experienced vomiting after eating, and the hospital is currently providing him with nutrition through IV fluids. Doctors advised him to remain quiet and rest as he is still in a critical observation period.
The timing of this attack is highly sensitive. Jie Lijian arrived in New York in May this year. On July 9th, he and his legal team formally filed a civil lawsuit in court, with defendants including the Chinese Communist government, the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, diplomatic personnel at the consulate, security personnel who assaulted protesting individuals outside the consulate, and their security company, along with several Chinese government departments.
Earlier, on January 4th this year, Chinese in Los Angeles held a gathering in front of the consulate to celebrate the capture of Venezuelan dictator Maduro by the United States but were attacked by a security guard employed by the consulate using pepper spray. Three people were immediately taken to hospital for observation, and the assailant was arrested by the police. The organizers of the gathering believed this was not just a personal dispute but a “transnational repression” conducted by the CCP using private security.
Jie Lijian mentioned that he recently received several emails from the Southern District of New York Federal Prosecutor’s Office, listing him as a victim witness and requesting more evidence to assist in the case; the Los Angeles Federal Prosecutor’s Office also made a similar request to him regarding the assault outside the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. The case in the Southern District of New York is still under review.
Jie Lijian pointed out that July was a period of intense legal action against the Chinese government and the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles, with multiple legal actions progressing simultaneously. He mentioned that there is no ruling out that the Chinese government, out of frustration from the lawsuits, escalated attacks on overseas dissidents.
He noted that Guo Bin, who had been helping with translation work to expose the CCP’s transnational repression in coordination with organizations like Freedom House, was suddenly arrested by ICE. It’s not ruled out that the CCP’s report or framing led to his arrest; subsequently, lawyer Wu Shaoping was also arrested.
Wu Shaoping, a former Chinese human rights lawyer who has long been concerned with human rights issues in China, was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the morning of July 15th in Pennsylvania, USA.
Jie Lijian posted on X, “I’m currently in the hospital ICU, having a good time eating lunch. I’ll be staying in the hospital for some time, so sometimes my phone is not reachable, placed in a hospital protection box to prevent interference with various medical monitoring devices and ECG machines, etc. Everyone, rest assured, I’m safe, and Jie Lijian will definitely return bravely and healthy.”
The post was accompanied by multiple photos of him still receiving treatment in the hospital bed.
He provided a video to reporters to assure everyone of his safety.
In the video, apart from recounting the entire incident, Jie Lijian stated that the Chinese government intensified efforts to further harm him, as well as other victims, attempting to silence people through death and attacks, halting the exposure of the CCP’s transnational repression crimes.
“I want to say, the Chinese (Communist) government should forget about it; it’s impossible, absolutely impossible to make us stop.”
Jie Lijian reminded the team members to also pay attention to their safety, stating, “We pay attention to safety, maintain a healthy life, tell more people about the CCP’s crimes. This video is also sent to guests worldwide, tell more people, spread it to everyone, we will not fear, we will not be afraid of CCP’s transnational repression, deaths, and various threats.”
Jie Lijian is a well-known overseas Chinese democracy activist who has been a thorn in the CCP’s side due to his long-standing stance against communism and support for domestic dissidents. He has been subjected to several violent attacks suspected to be orchestrated by the CCP.
Just before the 37th anniversary of the June Fourth Incident, Jie Lijian was involved in a serious car accident shortly after protesting against the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the United States, where the other party hit him twice and fled, leaving his vehicle severely damaged with injuries to his head.
This recent violent attack has raised high concerns among the overseas pro-democracy community and human rights organizations. Various parties have urged the U.S. federal law enforcement agencies to quickly identify the perpetrators behind the scenes, safeguard the personal safety and legal rights of overseas dissidents.
On July 17th, the China Democracy Party International Alliance issued a solemn statement on its website, calling on U.S. law enforcement agencies and the international community to take the issue of transnational repression seriously and effectively protect the personal safety and basic rights of individuals seeking democracy, freedom, and human rights overseas!