Last Sunday (September 21st) marked “International Day of Peace”, where dozens of Chinese residents in the greater Los Angeles area gathered in front of the Chinese consulate to protest against the secret detention of student Zhang Yadi by the Chinese government. They also expressed solidarity with all individuals who are persecuted for seeking truth and freedom.
Zhang Yadi was involved in the “Blank Paper Movement” and has long been dedicated to supporting Tibetan culture. At the beginning of July, after returning to China from France, she went missing by the end of the month, only to later be confirmed to be detained under the pretext of “endangering national security”. She has been cut off from the outside world for nearly two months now. On September 16th, human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was taken away by the authorities in Changsha while assisting Zhang Yadi’s family, sparking concerns among Chinese at home and abroad. Additionally, in late July, European student Hu Yang and his companion Wu Haoyu were also arrested at the Shanghai airport.
During the protest, participants raised banners and flags, chanting slogans in front of the consulate: “Free Zhang Yadi, Free Zhang Zhan!” “Freedom is not a crime, Reject cross-border suppression!” Several protesters gave speeches condemning the Chinese government for using national security as an excuse to restrict freedom of speech, conduct cross-border surveillance, and oppress overseas Chinese.
One of the organizers of the event, Yi Yong, stated that the Chinese government’s so-called “national security” is fundamentally about the security of the ruling clique and those in power. They use this as a pretext to maintain authoritarian control, trampling on the freedom and dignity of millions of people, all to satisfy their lust for power.
Yi Yong believes that economic prosperity is not the ultimate goal of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but rather monopolizing power. He pointed to Hong Kong as an example: when the people of Hong Kong refuse to be enslaved and continue to resist, the CCP invokes the National Security Law to suppress them, openly depriving Hong Kong of its freedom and democracy.
“Even if it means destroying the foundation of Hong Kong as an international financial center, even if it is a goose that lays golden eggs, they will still wield the knife,” he said. “This not only reveals the short-sightedness and ignorance of the CCP but also indicates that it will ultimately self-destruct and bring about its own downfall.”
In his address, Han Lei, a member of the Chinese Democratic Party, condemned the CCP’s widespread transnational repression. “What is happening to Zhang Yadi today could be the fate of each of us tomorrow,” he said. “The CCP’s arrest and repression of dissenters is a blatant violation of basic human rights. We must bravely speak out, reject persecution, and demand truth and freedom!”
The participants also voiced support for citizen journalist Zhang Zhan. Zhang Zhan was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison for reporting the truth about the 2020 Wuhan epidemic. Recently, she was again sentenced to four years in prison for her overseas platform remarks. These cases highlight the CCP’s long-standing abuse of the law, suppression of rights lawyers, students, and citizen journalists, demonstrating its hostility towards democracy and freedom.
The nearly hour-long rally was organized by the Chinese Democratic Party’s Western United Headquarters and the Freedom Bell Democratic Fund, hosted by Chinese Democratic Party member Li Wei.