On the 10th anniversary of the “709 Mass Arrests,” some Chinese Americans in California gathered in front of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles to expose and protest the persecution of human rights lawyers by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its transnational repression. They conveyed to the international community that the CCP’s persecution of human rights lawyers poses a threat to the entire world. Participants also sent letters to two U.S. senators from California, urging the U.S. to pressure the CCP to immediately release the human rights lawyers still detained from the “709” crackdown.
On the afternoon of July 9th, the Visual Artists Association and the International Coalition for China Democracy held a protest rally and press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles to mark the 10th anniversary of the “709 Mass Arrests.” Several human rights lawyers who recently escaped from China shared their personal experiences.
Lawyer You Feizhu, who defended those illegally arrested in the “709 Incident,” recounted at the press conference the ordeal of his clients being arrested with black hoods.
Lawyer Xu Silong from Kunming, Yunnan, described the harassment he faced in his legal practice by the CCP in China. He also shared how his family members were harassed and threatened by the authorities for his participation in the 10th-anniversary activities related to the “709 Incident.”
During the press conference, Lawyer Zhou Junhong spoke about how her advocacy for human rights in China online led to her family, including her mother and child, being harassed, threatened, and even physically assaulted by the CCP, causing her deep anguish and anger. She choked back tears as she shared the pain of being separated from her child.
The President of the International Coalition for China Democracy expressed to the media that hearing the stories of these human rights lawyers and their escape from China left him deeply unsettled. He emphasized that the continued harassment and threats by the CCP against human rights lawyers who have fled to other countries constitute part of the CCP’s “transnational repression and persecution” crimes.
He remarked that under the CCP’s authoritarian rule, human rights lawyers cannot protect themselves, making the situation even more brutal for ordinary people and vulnerable groups. He stated that today, several human rights lawyers at the event were exposing the CCP’s evil actions cloaked in legal guise, engaging in international crimes.
He expressed gratitude that these lawyers had safely reached this land of freedom to reveal the truths of the CCP’s violations of law, shining a light on the dark deeds that expose the CCP’s so-called “rule of law” as a mockery, mere child’s play. Under the CCP’s one-party dictatorship, he asserted, there are only means of enslavement and persecution, not the rule of law.
He further stated that the arrested lawyers from the “709 Incident,” like Lawyer Wang Quanzhang and Lawyer Li Heping, who were released from minor prisons, have “entered large prisons,” facing ongoing harassment and threats from the CCP.
Participants of the rally called for the immediate release of Lawyer Xie Yang, Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, Lawyer Yu Wensheng, Lawyer Ding Jiaxi, and all human rights lawyers, demanding the cessation of their persecution, harassment, and threats.
Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, hailed as the “backbone of Chinese human rights,” has been “missing” for nearly eight years, with his whereabouts unknown. Despite calls from his family and the international community urging pressure on the CCP, there has been no response from the authorities.
During the event, attendees collectively signed a petition to be delivered to California’s two U.S. senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff.
In the letter, they informed the senators that the “709 Mass Arrests” had dismantled the network of human rights lawyers challenging the government’s illegal actions and advocating for transparency and marginalized citizens’ rights. These lawyers have been imprisoned, had their licenses revoked, or silenced through surveillance and intimidation. Their disappearance from public life in China has hindered citizens’ access to legal aid when the government oversteps or conceals the truth.
They emphasized that the CCP’s cruel crackdown on civil society not only destroyed China’s legal defense community but also had a crucial impact on the CCP’s handling of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak at the end of 2019, ultimately leading to the virus’s global spread and the resulting pandemic.
The letter urged the senators to relay their message to the U.S. Congress and the State Department to pressure the CCP to immediately release the still-detained lawyers such as Xie Yang, Yu Wensheng, Ding Jiaxi, and all human rights lawyers, and to cease monitoring and harassing them.
The President of the International Coalition for China Democracy expressed hope that the U.S. would impose visa and economic sanctions on those responsible for the persecution of human rights in the “709 Incident,” including banning their family members and children from entering the U.S., and freezing their assets in the country to deter these human rights violators.
He also expressed the collective hope for the day when the CCP disintegrates and faces judgment.