Shanghai human rights activist Chen Jianfang, who was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months for “inciting subversion of state power”, was released on October 21st last year and put under house arrest by the authorities. In late March this year, US human rights officials contacted her, offering to assist her in going to the United States, but soon after, Chen Jianfang lost contact.
After her release from prison, Chen Jianfang did not regain her freedom and faced extreme difficulties in life without medical insurance or financial assistance. Many friends who tried to visit her were met with violence and intimidation, gradually cutting off her ties to the outside world.
Recently, an anonymous source informed The Epoch Times that after Chen Jianfang’s release, her home has been under 24-hour government surveillance. She has made several attempts to visit but was intercepted hundreds of meters away each time.
The informant revealed, “In late March this year, the US Consulate in China contacted Chen Jianfang indicating willingness to assist her in going to the US. The next day, one of Chen’s close friends was accused of providing the human rights officials’ contact information to Chen, leading to frequent police harassment at her friend’s residence. Shortly after, Chen Jianfang also lost contact, and her friend was unable to reach her.”
The source added, “After Chen Jianfang’s release, there were two small plastic tents, one at the front gate and the other at the rear window of her house, each occupied by two individuals who monitored her 24 hours a day. One can only imagine the cost involved in maintaining such surveillance.”
In late January, Shanghai activists Sun Hongqin and Zhu Libin visited Chen Jianfang with food and supplies and subsequently wrote an open letter to Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng, appealing to safeguard the minimum living conditions of “political prisoner” Chen Jianfang.
The day before Chen Jianfang went missing, Beijing lawyer Wang Yu, at Chen’s request, tried to accompany her to the hospital for medical treatment. Wang Yu encountered illegal obstruction and interrogation by the police at Chen’s residence, demanding registration at the police station and attempting to forcibly remove her.
Chen Jianfang, a farmer from Pudong New Area in Shanghai, became a rights defender after her family’s land was expropriated without fair compensation. Realizing the futility of petitioning due to systemic issues, she abandoned her own grievances and dedicated herself to the cause of defending human rights.
She had been advocating for the human rights situation of petitioners along with the late Cao Shunli, who died as a result of persecution. She has faced arbitrary detention, surveillance, and restrictions on her movements.