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Citizens' Square

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Citizens’ Square is a virtual Democracy Wall for individuals from China to share their stories online in personal narratives, open letters, statements, and case descriptions, and through photos, court documents, and videos. While most of the posted items are in Chinese, HRIC provides in English the title and a descriptive summary of each item. On occasion, HRIC also provides English translation of the contents of the item itself.

Launched in spring 2010, Citizens’ Square has served as an uncensored platform for petitioners, rights defenders, lawyers, and other citizens to expose corruption and official malfeasance, publicize cases of abuse ranging from illegal detention to kidnapping and torture, and issue public statements, including calls for official accountability and transparency and appeals for just compensation for forced evictions.

The expansion of this virtual Democracy Wall reflects the powerful desire among Chinese citizens to assert their rights and the growing citizen activism in China. Postings on Citizens’ Square have also helped individuals and groups bring international press attention to their cases.

In Citizens’ Square, journalists, researchers, and the general public can learn more about individual cases.

Items 451 - 500 of 629
Three Items Related to Shi Zongwei’s Removal from His Position
Shi Zongwei, the former Deputy Director of the Department of Labor Service at Zhengzhou Yellow River Engineering Bureau —who was removed from his position because of his participation in social gatherings and posting his opinions online—released three more items relevant to his dismissal.
June 21, 2013
Citizens' Square
My Solemn Statement
A statement by Shi Zongwei (史宗伟), former Deputy Director of the Department of Labor Service at Zhengzhou Yellow River Engineering Bureau, who was removed from his position by the Bureau’s Party leadership because he participated in social gatherings, posted his opinions online, and joined sit-ins...
June 17, 2013
Citizens' Square
Zhao Changqing—Who Dares to Shoulder His Fate and is Imprisoned for the Fourth Time for China’s Democracy
Zhao Changqing —one of the "ten gentlemen of Beijing calling for disclosure of officials’ assets”—is going to prison for the fourth time. The first time was in 1989, when he was arrested because of his activities in Democracy Movement. He was imprisoned again in 1998 and 2002 because he ran for...
June 1, 2013
Citizens' Square
Zhao Changqing
“We Protest: On What Basis Do You Deprive Us of the Right to Mourn the Victims of June Fourth at Muxidi”
In this letter from Ding Zilin and her husband Jiang Peikun, both of the Tiananmen Mothers group, they state that authorities have cut off their Internet connection, landline, and mobile service.
June 3, 2013
Citizens' Square
A Gathering of Former Christian “Prisoners of Conscience” in advance of June Fourth
Nine Christians, all former prisoners of conscience, gathered together in Beijing on May 31. In his sermon , Xu Yonghai, the head of the Divine Love Group of the Beijing Christian House Church, prayed for all who were killed, injured, and jailed because of the June Fourth crackdown on the 1989...
June 3, 2013
Citizens' Square
Collecting 1000 Signatures to Hold Wanning Police Accountable
An Open Letter Regarding the Suspected Wrongdoing of Wanning Public Security Bureau in the Case of “Principal and Government Officials ‘Renting Rooms’ [at hotels] with Primary School Students”
May 17, 2013
Citizens' Square
Legal Documents Related to the Case of Li Jianfeng
Li Jianfeng ( 李建峰 ) , a former presiding judge in the Economic Department of Ningde Municipal Intermediate People's Court, Fujian Province, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment on "subversion of state power" in 2002. Li denied the charges and maintained that his prosecution was in retaliation for...
April 2, 2013
Citizens' Square
Li Jianfeng
“Missing Person Notice: Looking for Rights Activist Yang Lin”
This public appeal , in the form of a “Missing Person Notice,” is signed by 39 individuals who believe that rights defense activist, Yang Lin, has been “disappeared” by the authorities.
April 23, 2013
Citizens' Square
Yang Lin
“Peaceful Calls for Public Disclosure of Official Assets Are Not a Crime: 10 Lawyers Argue for Revoking ‘Illegal Assembly’ Charges on Ding Jiaxi, Zhao Changqing, and Others”
This statement , in the form of a letter to the Beijing Public Security Bureau, is signed by 10 defense counsels representing Zhao Changqing, Ding Jiaxi, Yuan Dong, Ma Xinli, and Zhang Baocheng, who are criminally detained on “illegal assembly.” Another two activists, Sun Hanhui and Hou Xin, were...
April 26, 2013
Citizens' Square
Zhang Baocheng
The Story of Li Jianfeng, Former Judge Imprisoned for 16 Years for “Subversion”
This account provides background on the case of Li Jianfeng (李建峰), a former presiding judge in the Economic Department of Ningde Municipal Intermediate People's Court, Fujian Province, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment on "subversion of state power" in 2002. Li denied the charges and...
April 21, 2013
Citizens' Square
Li Jianfeng
Open Letters by Former Police Officers Urge New CPC Leadership to Combat Corruption, End Persecution of Rights Defenders and Uphold Rule of Law
Following two open letters in August and September 2012 urging the Communist Party of China (CPC) to address corruption in the judicial system and redress the miscarriage of justice in their individual cases, this group of former police officers have issued three additional open letters [insert...
April 19, 2013
Citizens' Square
Citizen Coalition Calls for Unconditional Release of Zhao Changqing and Ding Jiaxi
In a statement on the criminal detention of rights defender Zhao Changqing ( 赵常青 ) and lawyer Ding Jiaxi ( 丁家喜 ) in Beijing, the Alliance of Chinese Citizens for Rights Defense pointed out that such actions by the authorities would only lead to further unrest in an already unstable society, and...
April 18, 2013
Citizens' Square
Zhao Changqing
Activists Call for the Immediate Release of Advocates for Public Disclosure of Officials' Assets
In an open letter on the criminal detention of at least seven individuals who have been calling on government officials to publicly disclose their assets, Xu Zhiyong ( 许志永 ) and nine other lawyers, media workers and entrepreneurs urge the authorities to protect the rights of citizens to freedom of...
April 18, 2013
Citizens' Square
Xu Zhiyong
Eyewitness Account of Lawyer Being Beaten Outside Courthouse
Four Beijing rights defense lawyers—Cheng Hai (程海), Liang Xiaojun (梁小军), Wang Quanzhang (王全章), and Han Zhiguang (韩志广)—had planned to appear in a hearing for 13 Falun Gong practitioners being charged in a Dalian Court, Liaoning Province, on April 12.
April 13, 2013
Citizens' Square
Cheng Hai
Review of "Juvenile Laborers Confined in Dabao," a documentary
Ai Xiaoming ( 艾晓明 ) , a professor at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and a rights activist, calls this newly completed documentary film by Xie Yihui ( 谢贻卉) of “extraordinary significance.” The film follows the investigation by journalist Zeng Boyan ( 曾伯炎) , a former Sichuan Daily reporter, to a...
April 12, 2013
Citizens' Square
"Walking Out of Masanjia"
This is an in-depth investigative report on torture and violence at Masanjia Women’s Reeducation-Through-Labor Facility in Liaoning. The exposé has caused a stir in China and prompted urgent calls by the public to abolish this administrative detention system. The article in Lens Magazine has since...
April 7, 2013
Citizens' Square
“Vagina Is Roaring: on the Notorious Masanjia Women’s RTL Facility”
In light of the recent exposé of torture and violence at the Masanjia Women’s Reeducation-Through-Labor Facility, Ai Xiaoming, professor at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou and a noted rights activist, compares the atrocities in Masanjia to those committed in Nazi Germany during the Second World...
April 10, 2013
Citizens' Square
Legal Documents of Tianxiagong Suit against Suzhou Motai Hotel
Tianxiagong, an anti-discrimination NGO based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, had planned to host a seminar for public interest lawyers in Suzhou and signed a contract with the Suzhou Motai hotel (苏州莫泰酒店管理有限公司) to reserve Motai facilities for the seminar. When Motai refused to honor the reservation...
March 1, 2013
Citizens' Square
"The Dead Stay Young" - Mourning Lin Zhao in 2013
In this article , Ai Xiaoming’s provides a portrait of Lin Zhao, a Peking University student who was killed during the Cultural Revolution for criticizing the “tyranny” of the Chinese Communists, and discusses Lin Zhao’s articles, poems, and portions of her prison writings. Ai believes that Lin's...
April 3, 2013
Citizens' Square
Public Memorial for June Fourth Victims in Advance of the Qing Ming Festival
On April 1, 2013, in advance of the Qing Ming Festival, a group of independent intellectuals and participants in the 1989 Democracy Movement gathered in a funeral home in Zhengding County, Hebei Province, to pay respect to the victims of the government’s military crackdown on the Democracy Movement...
April 1, 2013
Citizens' Square
“Fighting Corruption is Not a Crime: Please Support the Anti-Corruption Warriors”
In this article , legal scholar and human rights activist Xu Zhiyong and others show their support for the four Beijing citizens including, Hou Xin, who were criminally detained on March 31, 2013, after they displayed banners and publicly called for disclosure of official assets in Xidan, downtown...
April 3, 2013
Citizens' Square
Xu Zhiyong
Protestors Calling for Disclosure of Official Assets are Taken Away by Beijing Police (video & essay on Hou Xin)
In this article, Beijing lawyer Xiao Guozhen provides a portrait of rights advocate Hou Xin, one of four individuals detained by police in Beijing, following their March 31, 2013 protest calling for disclosure of official assets. The other three individuals detained were Yuan Dong, Zhang Baocheng,...
April 1, 2013
Citizens' Square
Zhang Baocheng
Essay: “No Hope for Rule of Law; ‘Abnormal Petitioning’ Will Intensify”
Ma Yalian (马亚莲), a Shanghai rights defender, went to Beijing to petition during the period of the Two Congresses, and had planned to protest on Tiananmen Square. But to avoid being harassed by the police, Ma had to hide at a friend’s home where she used her friend’s computer to send out the essay.
March 10, 2013
Citizens' Square
Ma Yalian
Open Letter to NPC Deputies and CPPCC Members Regarding Freedom of Religion
The Beijing-based house church leader and rights defender urges NPC deputies and CPPCC members currently attending the Two Congresses—particularly those from Liaoning, Zhejiang and Beijing—to guarantee citizens’ right to freedom of religion as protected by the Chinese Constitution.
March 6, 2013
Citizens' Square
Docudrama of Black Jail Experience
Based on real-life experiences and enacted by a group of petitioners and rights activists from Nantong, Jiangsu, this docudrama shows what typically happens to petitioners when they are detained—often in unofficial places of detention, black jails—without formal charges, and sometimes without...
March 5, 2013
Citizens' Square
Rights Defenders and Activists Issue New Petition to Ratify ICCPR
Following a petition first released in late February urging the National People’s Congress to ratify the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) , a group of 151 people have signed a new petition similarly addressed to the NPC. This group of signers includes many petitioners,...
March 4, 2013
Citizens' Square
Protest Against Hefei Police for Illegal Search of My Residence and Harm Inflicted on Zhang Anni
Yao Cheng, a friend of Zhang Lin’s and the owner of the apartment in Hefei where Zhang temporarily lived, said in his article that the police came to search his apartment without legal permission and advance notice, and then kidnapped Zhang’s daughter. Photos of Zhang Anni and Zhang Lin.
March 1, 2013
Citizens' Square
Account of the Kidnapping of Zhang Anni by Hefei Police
In his article , rights activist Zhang Lin describes the kidnapping of his 10-year-old daughter and her 20-hour illegal detention in Hefei and Bengbu, Anhui Province, on February 27 and 28. Police also searched Zhang’s home in Hefei, took away his keys, mobile, and computer. Photos of Zhang Anni...
March 1, 2013
Citizens' Square
Legal Documents Related to Wang Dengchao’s Case
Lawyers for Wang Dengchao, a former Shenzhen police sentenced for 14 years in prison for “obstructing official business” and “embezzlement,” issued two complaints against 23 provincial and local officials.
February 25, 2013
Citizens' Square
Defending Wang Dengchao in the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court of Guangdong Province
Two short articles by Li Jinglin, one of the two former lawyers who represented Shenzhen police officer Wang Dengchao in his appeal against his 14-year prison sentence for “embezzlement” and “obstructing official business.”
February 12, 2013
Citizens' Square
Account of Beating of Xinjiang Resident Zhao Haitong after Visiting Wuhan Activist Qin Yongmin
In a series of text messages , Zhao Haitong, a Xinjiang resident, describes his beating by two unidentified persons after visiting veteran pro-democracy activist Qin Yongmin in Wuhan. Zhao suffered an asthma attack after the beating. Qin calls on the authorities to investigate the case and bring...
February 21, 2013
Citizens' Square
Shenzhen Policeman Wang Dengchao Appeals 14-year Sentence: Related Documents and Photographs
Wang Dengchao in police uniform In 2012, Wang Dengchao (王登朝) , a police officer in Shenzhen, was sentenced to 14 years after being convicted of “embezzlement” and “obstructing official business.” Wang and his lawyers contend that these were trumped-up charges. Wang Dengchao previously caused a...
February 7, 2013
Document
Wang Dengchao
Lawyer Tang Jitian Taken into Police Custody for Two Hours
In this message to HRIC (Chinese only), lawyer Tang Jitian (唐吉田) describes his detention and questioning by police in Shenzhen on February 1, 2013, when he tried to attend the appeals trial of a former policeman, Wang Dengchao. In 2012, Wang was sentenced to 14 years in prison after attempting to...
February 1, 2013
Article
Tang Jitian
Letter to Xi Jinping on 268 Days of Illegal Detention
In this article (Chinese only), Shanghainese rights activist Feng Zhenghu (冯正虎) narrates how he sent a letter to CPC Secretary-General and PRC President Xi Jinping (习近平) in December 2012, with a complaint on how he spent 268 days in illegal detention in 2012, and what happened as a result.
January 14, 2013
Article
Feng Zhenghu
On the Political Rallies in Solidarity with Southern Weekly
In this brief article (Chinese only), veteran Guangdong-based rights defender Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄) summarizes the points he made in support of Southern Weekly during interviews and exchanges with other participates made at a rally before Southern Weekly Guangzhou offices. The significance of the...
January 9, 2013
Citizens' Square
Guo Feixiong
Request to Shanghai Municipal People’s Procuratorate to Fulfill Their Legal Responsibility
On December 28, 2012, Wu Xuewei (吴雪伟) submitted this request (Chinese only) to the Shanghai Municipal People’s Procuratorate to investigate officials of the Shanghai Municipal Committee on the Administration of Reeducation-Through-Labor for abuse of power in unlawfully depriving Wu of his right to...
December 28, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng
Request to Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress and Standing Committee to Fulfill Their Legal Responsibility
On December 28, 2012, Wu Xuewei (吴雪伟) submitted this request (Chinese only) to the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress and Standing Committee to discipline the Shanghai Municipal Committee on the Administration of Reeducation-Through-Labor for unlawfully depriving Wu of his right to visit his wife...
December 28, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng
Application for Administrative Review [to Rescind Mao Hengfeng’s Order to Reeducation-Through-Labor]
This application for administrative review (Chinese only) was submitted to the Shanghai Municipal Committee on the Administration of Reeducation-Through-Labor by Wu Xuewei (吴雪伟), requesting that the decision ordering his wife, Shanghai activist Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤), to Reeducation-Through-Labor be...
December 27, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng
Application for Medical Parole for Mao Hengfeng
This application for medical parole (Chinese only) for Shanghai activist Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤) was submitted by Mao's husband Wu Xuewei (吴雪伟) to the Shanghai Municipal Committee on the Administration of Reeducation-Through-Labor on December 27, 2012.
December 27, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng
Notice of Execution of Reeducation-Through-Labor
On October 30, 2012, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau for the Administration of Reeducation-Through-Labor issued this Notice of Execution of Reeducation-Through-Labor for Shanghai activist Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤).
October 30, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng
Certificate of Release
On October 31, 2012, the Yangpu District Detention Center in Shanghai issued this Certificate of Release which released Shanghai rights defender Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤) from detention.
October 31, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng
Citizens’ Proposal
In this open statement (Chinese only), 65 Chinese citizens, including university professor Ai Xiaoming (艾晓明) and noted activist Hu Jia (胡佳), urge that China’s 205 highest-ranking officials disclose their assets and income, along with that of their spouses and children, for public scrutiny during...
December 13, 2012
Public Appeal
Hu Jia
An Open Letter to the Nobel Committee for Literature
In his letter, the exiled dissident Chinese writer Liao Yiwu raises questions about the character, as well as writings, of Mo Yan, the recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
November 25, 2012
Open Letter
Liao Yiwu
Complaint by Lawyers on Qin Yongmin’s Enforced Disappearance
In this complaint submitted to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the lawyers Xiao and Guo say that the CPC’s 18th Congress has ended but Wuhan dissident Qin Yongmin is still missing. They accuse the Qingshan District Public Security Bureau in Wuhan of illegally restricting Qin Yongmin’s personal...
December 4, 2012
Citizens' Square
Qin Yongmin
An Appeal to Chinese Government to Release Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia—Global Signature Campaign
Attachment 1 Announcement of a December 8, 2012 press conference and seminar in Flushing, New York City, organized by “Friends of Liu Xiaobo,” to launch a global campaign to obtain the release of Liu Xiaobo and his wife, Liu Xia. Attachment 2 A letter of support for the campaign from Ding Zilin, a...
December 4, 2012
Public Appeal
Liu Xia
I Was Illegally Detained for Eight Hours on December 1, 2012
Veteran rights defender Guo Feixiong says that in order to prevent him from going to a legal seminar where friends of his were attending, Guangzhou police detained him for eight hours on trumped-up charges, including “selling fake alcohol” and “disturbing public order.” Guo says that he has been...
December 2, 2012
Citizens' Square
Guo Feixiong
Chinese Petitioner Ye Mingfeng Return to China from Thailand
Fujianese petitioner Ye Mingfeng (叶明锋) appeals (Chinese only) for international attention as he fears retaliation from Chinese authorities after being extradited from Thailand to China. Ye had fled to to Thailand to escape Reeducation-Through-Labor, but was arrested about three months ago. He...
November 29, 2012
Citizens' Square
Ye Mingfeng
Members of Our Church Forced to “Travel” and Under House Arrest during 18th Party Congress
In this article (Chinese only) , rights defender and house church leader Xu Yonghai (徐永海) describes how at least five members of his Beijing-based house church were taken by the police on forced “travel” to the south of China. And at least five other members, including Xu himself, have been put...
November 9, 2012
Article
Xu Yonghai
Two Articles by Shanghainese Activist Feng Zhenghu, Now in 9th month of Illegal House Arrest
Shanghainese rights defender Feng Zhenghu (冯正虎) has been confined to his home by 24 guards since February 27, 2012. He estimates that by October 30, those guards had cost the authorities some 2.4 million yuan [about $600,000]. Feng’s house arrest began in advance of the “Two Sessions” of the...
October 30, 2012
Citizens' Square
Feng Zhenghu
Decision on Reeducation-Through-Labor
The decision (Chinese only) orders Shanghainese petitioner Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤) to serve one year and six months of Reeducation-Through-Labor for "disrupting social order.” The Committee cites as reason Mao’s participation in public activities in Shanghai on January 5 and July 1, 2012, that...
October 30, 2012
Document
Mao Hengfeng

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