Stand with Chinese human rights lawyers and activists  

What’s the problem?

On 9 July 2015, Chinese police and national security officials targeted roughly 250 human rights lawyers and legal activists in an unprecedented nationwide crackdown, also known as the “July 9” or “709” crackdown. Many were tortured, imprisoned, and stripped of their licenses.

Ten years later, the repression continues. Former detainees and their families continue to be subjected to intrusive surveillance, travel restrictions, and repeated interrogations under the pretext of national security.

We are highlighting five individuals who were targeted during 709, and whose ordeal continues today, yet who remain committed to human rights. They need your solidarity. Send a message now.

What you can do to help? 

Send an email sharing your reflections on this 10-year anniversary, and a message of encouragement and hope as human rights lawyers confront this ongoing repression. 

Even a short note can bring hope and strength to those targeted for their rights work. 

The Chinese government has spared no effort to intimidate and silence Jiang Tianyong, Wang Quanzhang, Wang Yu, Zhao Wei and Zhou Shifeng. Your words demonstrate that these lawyers are seen and supported as they strive for justice and respect for human rights and the rule of law in China.

Read more about the 5 lawyers

Jiang Tianyong

Jiang Tianyong, a prominent human rights lawyer and activist, was trying to tell the world about the Crackdown when in 2016 he was detained; he was sentenced to two years for “inciting subversion”. After his release in 2019, he faced three years of house arrest and strict surveillance in the small town he grew up in, far from his networks. Authorities have prevented him from leaving China to see his family abroad – he hasn’t seen his wife or children since 2013. His wife has described him as a lawyer of principle and as always ready to help those in need. “If I don’t provide (legal) help to them, I will not be able to live with my conscience.”

Wang Quanzhang 

Wang Quanzhang was the last human rights lawyer sentenced in the 709 Crackdown. After three years of pre-trial detention, during which time his wife was a determined and inspiring advocate for his release, he was handed down a sentence of four and a half years in prison for “subversion of state power.” Both during his sentence and since his release, his family has been forced to move house – and his son has been denied a place in primary school – due to official pressure.

Wang Yu

As a human rights lawyer, Wang Yu took on so-called “sensitive” cases, especially on women’s rights – defending the “Feminist Five” and supporting schoolchildren victim to sexual abuse by their principal. Abducted from her home in Beijing in the early morning of 9 July 2015, Wang Yu was the first human rights lawyer known to be arrested in the 709 Crackdown. Her husband and fellow legal professional Bao Longjun was detained the same day; her teenage son was separated from his parents and after several days accompanied by police to his grandparents’ home. After being released on bail in August 2016, Wang Yu and her family remained under strict surveillance in the distant Chinese province of Inner Mongolia. Despite all of this, she has been adamant in her commitment to continue working in rights defence. She has had confrontations with police on numerous occasions, most recently being detained for nine days in October 2024 when she was stopped outside a court on her way to defend a client. She and Bao haven’t seen their son since 2018.

Zhao Wei 

When Zhao Wei was studying for a journalist degree at university, she started noticing social injustice and participating in community work. After graduation, she was passionate about her work assisting human rights lawyer Li Heping. She was only 24 when she was formally arrested on charges of “subversion of state power”. After being released on bail in 2016, for years she and her family remained under strict surveillance and were harassed by authorities. She now lives overseas. 

Zhou Shifeng 

When he was detained, Zhou Shifeng was the head of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm – possibly the main target of the 709 Crackdown, at least in its first days. The firm had a reputation for taking difficult cases and confronting public abuses of power. After more than a year in secret detention, Zhou was sentenced in an unfair trial to seven years for “subversion of state power,” the longest sentence of any human rights lawyer prosecuted in direct connection to the crackdown. After his release, despite being under tight surveillance, he has continued to seek redress for himself and others who suffered human rights violations as a result of the 709 Crackdown.