On the eve of the 9th anniversary of the “709 Crackdown” in China, dozens of Chinese residents in Los Angeles gathered near Ding Pangzi Democracy Square. They chanted slogans, with many participants shaving their heads on the spot to protest the authorities’ illegal detention and persecution of human rights lawyers.
Last Sunday evening, the host, Li Shiting, read out a statement from the “Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group” regarding the torture and mistreatment of human rights lawyers in prison. In his speech, he pointed out that human rights lawyers and their families in China are facing unimaginable persecution, not only being illegally detained but also enduring endless harassment and torment in their daily lives. “This is appalling and reminds us that human rights in China are still a luxury,” he said.
On July 9, 2015, the Chinese Communist Party launched a nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers, activists, and their relatives. Nine years later, human rights lawyers like Gao Zhisheng, Xie Yang, Yu Wensheng, husband and wife Hu Yan, Chang Weiping, Ding Jiaxi, Xu Zhiyong, Chen Jiahong, and others remain imprisoned.
Jie Lijian, the deputy chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party Joint Headquarters and organizer of the gathering, stated in his speech, “In China, a particularly despairing reality is that lawyers themselves have difficulty in self-protection, let alone protecting the ordinary people. This will only lead to lawlessness, tyranny, and increasing humanitarian disasters.”
Law is called “the minimum morality” by people. Participants at the gathering pointed out that although China formally has laws, they are only used to restrain and exploit the common people, as the CCP fundamentally disregards the law and lacks the most basic morality.
“It (the CCP) is not a government; it treats the people as slaves, as leeks to be harvested, cutting as they please and not allowing you to resist,” said Mr. Lai, a longtime worker in the power system from Guangdong. He explained how state-owned enterprises like Chongqing Gas, controlled by the CCP, recently replaced residents’ gas meters with smart meters, leading to a fivefold increase in gas fees.
Why does this happen? “The numbers on these smart meters can be adjusted at will, just like electricity meters, adjusting by 10%, 20%, or even 50%,” said Mr. Lai. He mentioned that similar practices are widespread in China, with the government allowing it.
Li Jicheng, founder of a networking company that protested by shaving heads, hails from Shandong. He owned over a dozen websites and forums in China, but in 2012, these forums were forcibly closed by cyber police, prohibiting netizens from posting.
Li Jicheng stated that human rights lawyers defending persecuted individuals rely on laws set by the Communist Party, which continues to flip-flop and overturn laws. He gave the example of P2P lending, initially promoted by the government but later declared illegal by the CCP, seizing all the funds.
Chen Lijun from Hebei experienced economic disputes in 2015. He recalled that before court hearings, regardless of the case, the judge first withdrew all funds from his bank account before serving him a summons. He found that hiring a lawyer was useless in court, where his evidence and witnesses were not accepted, resulting in him losing millions of RMB.
Reflecting on his experience, Chen Lijun said, “In China, the law is essentially a game for the ruling elite and the wealthy, providing no protection for the weak.”
Nine years ago during the large-scale crackdown on human rights lawyers by the CCP, Christian Li Yuanxi was still in China. When the news spread within the church, everyone was shocked.
“They arrested hundreds in just two days, sweeping across China from south to north, it was terrifying,” Li Yuanxi said at the gathering. “Does China really have the rule of law? When it comes to implementation, it follows the Party’s dictates and leadership’s opinions, not the law.”
Haoyi Qing, who participated in the head-shaving protest at the event, mentioned witnessing a recent incident where a judge and court police in mainland China openly confiscated a lawyer’s evidence and phone in court.
“Can you imagine the courtroom being a place of justice in China?” he exclaimed. “The law is the bottom line for upholding human dignity. Lawyers speak up for the underprivileged, and the CCP arrests them; where is the law in this? It’s nothing but blatant organized crime!”
Jie Lijian himself also joined the head-shaving protest. In summarizing the event, he stated that the world knows China lacks any real rule of law, as the CCP’s laws are designed to control and restrict the people, being subject to arbitrary modifications at any time. This extends internationally, with the CCP infiltrating overseas and establishing overseas police stations for cross-border suppression, infringing on other countries’ sovereignty.
He emphasized that the 709 Crackdown is a massive calamity and sorrow for the global legal community, stressing the importance of not forgetting the human rights lawyers affected by it. “Nine years later, we must not forget the 709 human rights lawyers sacrificing for democracy and rule of law in China; we have a responsibility to support them.”