Chinese dissidents threatened with government imprisonment

In recent weeks, China has increased pressure on a number of prominent dissidents. Local prosecutors are now considering whether to sentence human rights lawyer Lu Siwei to prison. Police have also repeatedly threatened to re-arrest citizen journalist Zhang Zhan.

Some human rights activists say the new threats against Lu and Zhang are part of a broader government campaign to intensify its crackdown on human rights activists and lawyers.

Beijing warns dissidents that if they defend the rule of law or freedom of expression, they could be arrested or jailed, Bob Fu, founder of the Texas-based human rights group ChinaAid, told VOA by phone.

Lu’s wife, Zhang Chunxiao, who now lives in the United States, told VOA that Chinese police in the southwestern province of Sichuan have imposed strict restrictions on her husband since he was released on bail in October, placing him under 24-hour surveillance and banning him from leaving the city of Chengdu without permission.

Authorities have eight to nine people watching him 24 hours a day. Whether he’s taking the subway or getting into a taxi, there’s always someone following him, she told VOA by phone.

Lu, a prominent human rights lawyer who has handled several high-profile cases, attempted to flee China last July and join his family in the United States via Southeast Asia. Despite having a valid U.S. visa and a Chinese passport, he was arrested and detained by Laotian police and subsequently deported to China.

According to Zhang, the constant surveillance left Lu feeling isolated and suffering from severe mood swings.

Almost everyone around him, including his friends and family, have cut off contact with him, leaving him in a very bad mental state, Zhang said.

In addition to the surveillance and restrictions on his movement, the officers told Lu last month that prosecutors in Chengdu were investigating his case and would later determine whether to charge him with a crime.

While Zhang says she hopes the chances are slim that authorities will not charge her husband with a crime and restore his basic rights and freedoms, some analysts say there is a high probability that Lu will be convicted and given a prison sentence.

Given that the conviction rate in China is above 99 percent, I expect Lu will likely be prosecuted for a crime, Yaqiu Wang, research director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Freedom House, told VOA by phone.

According to Fu, Lu’s experience in Texas is a classic example of transnational repression in China, and Beijing is preparing to take action against it.

His case shows that under the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping, even a peaceful human rights lawyer abroad would be arrested if he tried to visit his family in the United States, he told VOA.

In a written response, the Chinese embassy in Washington said Beijing strictly abides by international law and fully respects the sovereignty of other countries in law enforcement.

There is no cross-border repression, embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu told VOA.

Forced separation of families

While Lu faces the threat of persecution in China, his family has also been forcibly separated since his wife and children moved to the United States in January 2022. Zhang said Lu’s detention and subsequent deportation to China prompted her to learn how to defend him, something she was not used to.

“I was a very quiet person who lived a simple life, but since his arrest last year, I had no choice but to defend him,” she told VOA, adding that she did so out of a wifely instinct, despite the fact that the work is difficult for her.

“My child is still young and my husband also needs my emotional support, so I have to become stronger,” Zhang said.

ChinaAid’s Fu said Zhang’s experience mirrors a situation common to families of other Chinese dissidents.

The pain that such forced separation brings to the families of Chinese dissidents is indescribable and is a tragedy caused by the Chinese government, he told VOA.

Life Threats from the Chinese Government

While Lu awaits her fate, Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan has been repeatedly threatened with re-arrest by police since her release from prison in May.

Zhangwho was sentenced to four years in prison for covering up the first lockdown in Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 9, she shared in a post on the messaging app WeChat that Shanghai police had warned her that she would be jailed again if she crossed certain lines again.

In another video she posted to YouTube in July, Zhang said authorities had confiscated her passport and that she knew she might be being followed.

Despite the recurring threats she faces, Zhang continues to campaign for the release of other Chinese dissidents arrested by police in recent weeks.

Freedom House’s Wang said that if Zhang continues to advocate for freedom and the rule of law, she will likely continue to face intimidation and harassment by police.

She told VOA that surveillance and threats of re-incarceration will stay with her forever, probably for the rest of her life. These cases show that the costs of dissent are not limited to the time these dissidents spend in prison.

Wang adds that it also shows how threats to dissidents are increasing under Xi Jinping and are often global.