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A Tribute to the Women Who Resist: On the Sixth Anniversary of the 709 Crackdown

July 8, 2021

On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the 709 Crackdown, Human Rights in China (HRIC) honors Chinese women rights defenders by highlighting the activism of nine notable women who have been steadfast in fighting against suppression by the authorities:

  • CHEN Zijuan (陈紫娟)
  • HUANG Simin (黄思敏)
  • LI Qiaochu (李翘楚)
  • LI Shuyun (李姝云)
  • LI Yuhan (李昱函)
  • LUO Shengchun (罗胜春)
  • SHI Minglei (施明磊)
  • WANG Yu (王宇)
  • ZHANG Zhan (张展)

(See our special web section featuring the profiles and quotes of these women.)

Some of these women are lawyers and legal advocates who have chosen the difficult path of rights defense on their own. They have suffered harassment, surveillance, torture, and imprisonment, yet they did not retreat and have persevered in the pursuit of fairness and justice.

Others are family members of lawyers and legal advocates targeted by the authorities. These women have their own successful careers and ideals but have been compelled to take up rights defense—as they, too, became the targets of suppression—in order to protect their own freedom and that of their family members.

Faced with sudden and dramatic changes in their lives, including harassment, intimidation, and threats from the authorities, these women have experienced hesitation, grievances, fear, and self-doubt, but they have never given up. As they continue to pursue their own careers and care for their families, they also advocate for the freedom of their loved ones, showing unusual strength in their resistance and great resilience. HRIC pays tribute to them and urges the Chinese authorities to stop persecuting them and their families.