Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Not Truly Free Despite Release from Prison

Wang Quanzhang, a human rights lawyer and political activist, has been detained and tortured in China since 2015. His formal prison sentence ended at the beginning of April. Instead of being home with his wife and young son in Beijing, Wang is under house arrest in his hometown of Jinan. Authorities claim that he is being temporarily quarantined, but the 14-day allotment has passed and a release date has not been set.

Human Rights Watch released a joint statement with other organizations such as the International Service for Human Rights Lawyers. It outlines the lack of judicial fairness in Wang’s trial and the subsequent harassment of his family by authorities. Though released before the end of his sentence, these organizations predicted his solitary confinement in Jinan. The report states that, “This is an attempt to isolate Wang Quanzhang from his network and was similarly used against 709 other lawyers, including lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who was released on 28 February 2019 but is still under house arrest in Henan, and deprived of his right to proper medical care.” The lack of medical care is a concern for Wang as well as he recovers from torture endured in prison.

Wang’s case is especially high profile as it has attracted the attention of rights groups and international leaders. The United States’ Department of State has taken a firm stance on the issue, saying “We remain very concerned about reports of his declining physical and mental health, and of his mistreatment in prison,” and it continued pressure on Beijing to release “all those unjustly detained,” saying Washington remained concerned about China’s “weak rule of law, arbitrary detentions and torture in custody.” Such a strong statement could be helpful to Wang’s case, although China might not respect the opinion of the United States as tensions between the two continue to escalate.

Coronavirus-related supply chain issues and increased military presence in the South China Sea have frustrated top officials on both sides, according to the New York Times. In particular, friction in the South China Sea has caused China to be particularly protective of its sovereignty, dismissing international scrutiny of its internal affairs.

Li Wenzu, Wang’s wife, has been fighting to keep her husband’s situation in the media’s attention for years. She and partners of other imprisoned lawyers have staged public protests and had many interviews. She told AFP that the government has used the pandemic to isolate him when the law states he should be allowed to be with his family in Beijing.

Her persistence seems as though it is beginning to pay off. Wang himself was able to have a virtual interview with AFP. He was fiercely critical of his government, saying: “They used the epidemic as a convenient excuse to limit my freedom.” He also explained his health issues, and while he refused to go into details about his torture, it is now clear that it would be very easy for his stories to circulate through top media outlets.  Li claims authorities are afraid of people knowing the truth about the torture of Wang.

As long as the case of Wang Quanzhang continues to be high profile, hope of his release remains. China will not be coerced by other nations to let him go, especially as the nation struggles to keep many issues secret from the public – notably their early coronavirus response. Wang and his family, having spoken directly to the media, present the greatest threat to the Chinese authorities. He has the power to divulge details of his torture at any time, which could cause public rage and a threat to the government. It is important for Wang and his family to keep fighting and for news outlets to circulate their story. The pandemic has monopolized attention worldwide, allowing atrocities to slip by largely undetected. Persistence is key to bringing this family together again.

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