Xu Zhiyong

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Xu.
Xu Zhiyong
许志永
Xu Zhiyong.JPG
Born (1973-03-02) March 2, 1973 (age 48)
Minquan County, Henan, China
Alma materLanzhou University, Peking University
OccupationLegal scholar
Known forCivil rights advocacy
Spouse(s)Cui Zheng (divorced)
Weiquan lawyers
Background
Lawyers and legal scholars
Organizations
Cases and Events
  • v
  • t

Xu Zhiyong (Chinese: 许志永; pinyin: Xǔ Zhìyǒng; born March 2, 1973) is a Chinese civil rights activist and formerly a lecturer at the Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications. He was one of the founders of the NGO Open Constitution Initiative and an active rights lawyer in China who helped those underprivileged. He is the main founder and icon of the New Citizens' Movement in China. In January 2014 he was sentenced to four years in prison for "gathering crowds to disrupt public order".[1] He was detained again on February 15, 2020, in the southern city of Guangzhou after two months in hiding, for his participation in a meeting of rights activists and lawyers in Xiamen in December 2019 in which "democratic transition in China" was discussed, and for penning an online essay calling on Xi Jinping to step down over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in China.[2]

Personal life[]

Xu was born in Minquan County, Henan Province in 1973. He was married to Cui Zheng (崔筝), a journalist. Their daughter was born on January 13, 2014, while Xu was in a detention center facing trial.[3][4] He had been in hiding since late 2019 and was detained by Chinese police on February 15, 2020.[5] In March of 2021, his partner Li Qiaochu was reported to have been arrested for tweeting that Xu and another activist had been tortured while in detention.[6]

Career and activism[]

Xu received his Bachelor of Law degree from Lanzhou University in 1994 and Doctor of Law degree from Peking University in 2002.

The Gongmeng era[]

In 2003, he was elected to the Haidian District People's Congress as an independent. He won the re-election in 2006.[7] In the 2011 election, Xu's name was pulled off the candidate list, but he still gathered more than 3,500 votes out of 22,000 voters in his district.

Xu helped found the public interest group Gongmeng, also known as the Open Constitution Initiative.[8]

Unlike other human rights activists, Xu firmly and carefully pushed his calls for political change and social justice in existing laws, and his group has been regarded as relatively cautious and conservative.[9][10] In his recent interview before his arrest, he described his dream as follows:

I wish our country could be a free and happy one. Every citizen need not go against their conscience and can find their own place by their virtue and talents; a simple and happy society, where the goodness of humanity is expanded to the maximum, and the evilness of humanity is constrained to the minimum; honesty, trust, kindness, and helping each other are everyday occurrences in life; there is not so much anger and anxiety, a pure smile on everyone's face.

— Xu Zhiyong[11]

The 2009 Gongmeng incident[]

On July 29, 2009, he was arrested at his home, and detained by Chinese authorities on charges of tax evasion.[12][13][8] At the same time Xu's colleague was also arrested by authorities.[14]

The Open Constitution Initiative was fined 1.46 million RMB on July 14, 2009 for 'dodging taxes' and was shut down by the authorities by declaring it "illegal".[15]

Xu Zhiyong was released on bail on August 23, 2009.[14] The Australian newspaper The Age reported that the release of Xu, Zhuang and another Chinese dissident, Ilham Tohti, was in part due to pressure on Beijing from the administration of American President Barack Obama.[16]

Post-Gongmeng era and the New Citizens Movement[]

After Gongmeng was shut down, Xu Zhiyong and supporters adopted the name "Citizens" to continue their cause. In May 2012, Xu formally established the "New Citizens' Movement" and "New Citizens' Spirit" as the high-level concept of their activism.

In 2013, Xu Zhiyong was placed under house arrest for more than three months, before being formally arrested on August 22.[17] His trial started on January 22, 2014. Xu and his lawyer Zhang Qingfang remained silent throughout the trial (except for his closing statement) to protest the violation of basic legal procedure. Xu's closing statement was cut short by the judge, but the text was circulated on the internet[18] and raised tremendous support.[citation needed] On January 26, 2014, Xu was sentenced to four years in prison for "gathering crowds to disrupt public order".[1]

Xu and other human rights activists were wanted by police for their participation in a meeting in Xiamen on 13 December 2019[19][20] where "democratic transition in China" was discussed.[21] In February 2020, while in hiding, through postings on social media, Xu publicly asked Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping to resign, for what he described as an obvious inability to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] He was arrested in Guangzhou on February 15, 2020, according to two fellow activists.[23]

Xu was listed in 2013's Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy.[24] In June 2020, PEN America announced Xu as the recipient of the 2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award; his partner Li Qiaochu, also an activist, accepted the award on his behalf in December 2020.[25][26] Subsequently, Li was forced by police into house arrest and, according to PEN America, threatened with detention if she continued to speak about the detention of Xu. According to a post on the Twitter account of Li dated February 5, she was detained by police in Linyi County, hours after she had tweeted about Xu.[27]

Prominent writings and speeches[]

  • Xu Zhiyong's closing statement in court (January 22, 2014) Chinese English (translated by ChinaChange.org)
  • The Last Ten Years, China's rights movement through the work of Gong Meng. Chinese English (translated by ChinaChange.org)
  • A trip to Ngaba, (the Tibetan prefecture in Northern Sichuan province where many Tibetans have self-immolated over the last four years or so. A shorter version of the essay was published in the New York Times in December 2012). Chinese English (translated by ChinaChange.org)
  • New Citizens Movement, a "manifesto" published on May 29, 2012. Chinese English(translated by ChinaChange.org)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "China court sentences Xu Zhiyong to four years in jail". BBC News. January 25, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Xue, Xiaoshan (December 25, 2020). "China to Tighten Political Security Operations Targeting 'Potential' Dissent". Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Radio Free Asia. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "New citizens". The Economist. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  4. ^ "Jailed Dissident's Wife: 'I Don't Want You to Give Up'". The Wall Street Journal. January 27, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "Dear Chairman Xi, It's Time for You to Go". ChinaFile. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  6. ^ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125558/china-arrests-girlfriend-detained-legal-activist-xu-zhiyong
  7. ^ "Independent candidate elected". China Daily. December 17, 2003. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Gongmeng officially shut down, founder formally arrested". August 18, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Wines, Michael (August 23, 2009). "Without Explanation, China Releases 3 Activists". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "China Behind the Headlines: Xu Zhiyong". thechinabeat.blogspot.com. August 6, 2009.
  11. ^ "Xu Zhiyong: Featured in Mr. Fashion | China Digital Times (CDT)". chinadigitaltimes.net.
  12. ^ "China Detains Prominent Legal Activist". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009.
  13. ^ "Associated Press: Brother: Chinese activist held for tax evasion".
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Wines, Michael (August 23, 2009). "Without Explanation, China Releases 3 Activists". The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
  15. ^ Authority's Official Notice on the Shutdown of OCI (in Chinese)
  16. ^ John Garnaut (August 25, 2009). "Obama behind release of Chinese activists". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
  17. ^ Buckley, Chris (August 23, 2013). "Formal Arrest of Advocate Is Approved by China". The New York Times.
  18. ^ "In Beijing, Xu Zhiyong's Closing Statement Channels Freedom, Justice And Love". HuffPost. January 27, 2014.
  19. ^ Hernández, Javier C. (February 17, 2020). "China detains activist who accused Xi of Coronavirus cover-up". New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  20. ^ Han, Qing (February 8, 2021). "Chinese police hold women's rights activist thousands of miles from home". Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Radio Free Asia. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  21. ^ Guo, Rui (March 15, 2021). "China arrests girlfriend of detained legal activist Xu Zhiyong on subversion charge". South China Morning Post. Retrieved March 17, 2021 – via Yahoo! News.
  22. ^ Mai, Jun; Lau, Mimi (February 6, 2020). "Chinese scholar blames Xi Jinping, Communist Party for not controlling coronavirus outbreak". South China Morning Post.
  23. ^ Yu, Verna (February 17, 2020). "Chinese activist detained after calling Xi Jinping 'clueless' on coronavirus crisis" – via www.theguardian.com.
  24. ^ "2013 Global Thinkers". Foreign Policy. December 29, 2013.
  25. ^ "2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award: Xu Zhiyong". PEN America. June 4, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  26. ^ "China Steps up Charges Against Activists Who Called For Political Change". Radio Free Asia. January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  27. ^ "Chinese Police Hold Women's Rights Activist Thousands of Miles From Home". Radio Free Asia. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.

External links[]

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