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{{Short description|Chinese civil rights activist and academic (born 1973)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}{{family name hatnote|Xu|lang=Chinese}}{{expand Chinese|date=March 2023|topic=bio}}

factoids

| image = Xu Zhiyong.JPG| caption = 19732}}| birth_place = Minquan County, Henan, China| death_date = | death_place = | movement = New Citizens MovementWeiquan movement| criminal_charges = Disruption of public order (Politically motivated)

• PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award (2020)| employer = Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications (Previous)| organization = Open Constitution Initiative (Gongmeng)| known_for = Civil rights advocacy, advocacy of constitutionalism| occupation = Legal scholar, lecturer| alma_mater = Lanzhou University (LLB)Peking University (PhD)

}}{{Weiquan Lawyers}}Xu Zhiyong ({{zh|s=许志永|p=XÇ” ZhìyÇ’ng}}; 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 campaigned against corruptionNEWS,www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-25874436, China activist Liu Yuandong on trial in Guangzhou, BBC News, BBC News, January 24, 2014, October 9, 2021, and 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”.WEB,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-25900272, China court sentences Xu Zhiyong to four years in jail, BBC News, January 25, 2014, March 19, 2021, 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.WEB,www.rfa.org/english/news/china/political-security-12252020162439.html, China to Tighten Political Security Operations Targeting ‘Potential’ Dissent, Xiaoshan, Xue, Radio Free Asia, December 25, 2020, March 19, 2021, He was sentenced for subversion to 14 years in jail on April 10, 2023.

Personal life

Xu was born in Minquan County, Henan Province in 1973. He was married to Cui Zheng (), a journalist. Their daughter was born on January 13, 2014, while Xu was in a detention center facing trial.NEWS,www.economist.com/news/china/21595050-clampdown-activists-continues-new-citizens, New citizens, January 25, 2014, The Economist, January 27, 2014, WEB,www.wsj.com/articles/BL-CJB-20535, Jailed Dissident’s Wife: ‘I Don’t Want You to Give Up’, The Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2014, February 16, 2021, He had been in hiding since late 2019 and was detained by Chinese police on February 15, 2020.WEB, Dear Chairman Xi, It’s Time for You to Go,www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/dear-chairman-xi-its-time-you-go, ChinaFile, February 26, 2020, February 27, 2020, 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.WEB,www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3125558/china-arrests-girlfriend-detained-legal-activist-xu-zhiyong, China arrests girlfriend of detained legal activist on subversion charge, Rui, Guo, South China Morning Post, March 15, 2021, November 30, 2021, subscription,

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.WEB,www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-12/17/content_291055.htm, China Daily, Independent candidate elected, December 17, 2003, January 31, 2008, 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.WEB,www.hrichina.org/en/content/333, Gongmeng officially shut down, founder formally arrested, August 18, 2009, March 19, 2021, 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.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/asia/24china.html, Without Explanation, China Releases 3 Activists, Michael, Wines, The New York Times, August 23, 2009, February 16, 2021, WEB,thechinabeat.blogspot.com/2009/08/china-behind-headlines-xu-zhiyong.html, China Behind the Headlines: Xu Zhiyong, thechinabeat.blogspot.com, August 6, 2009, In his recent interview before his arrest, he described his dream as follows:}}Xu’s final remarks post trial also made rounds within Chinese dissident communities abroad in which he described goal of the New Citizens’ Movement as follows: }}

The 2009 Gongmeng incident

On July 29, 2009, he was arrested at his home, and detained by Chinese authorities on charges of tax evasion.WEB,www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=25241&article=China+Detains+Prominent+Legal+Activist,www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=25241&article=China+Detains+Prominent+Legal+Activist," title="web.archive.org/web/20090805190427www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=25241&article=China+Detains+Prominent+Legal+Activist,">web.archive.org/web/20090805190427www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=25241&article=China+Detains+Prominent+Legal+Activist, dead, China Detains Prominent Legal Activist, August 5, 2009, WEB,www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-_vME84yrmjeXlS6VRuoGfJt6uwD99RVAH80, Associated Press: Brother: Chinese activist held for tax evasion, At the same time Xu’s colleague Zhuang Lu was also arrested by authorities.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/asia/24china.html, The New York Times, Without Explanation, China Releases 3 Activists, Wines, Michael, August 23, 2009, August 25, 2009, 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”.(:File:Legel notice to ban gongmeng.jpg|Authority’s Official Notice on the Shutdown of OCI) {{in lang|zh}}Xu Zhiyong was released on bail on August 23, 2009.WEB,www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fg-china-dissidents24-2009aug24,0,1409682.story, Beijing frees legal activist Xu Zhiyong, Demick, Barbara, Los Angeles Times, August 24, 2009, June 22, 2022, 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.NEWS, John Garnaut, The Age,www.theage.com.au/world/obama-behind-release-of-chinese-activists-20090824-ewhi.html, Obama behind release of Chinese activists, August 25, 2009, Melbourne, August 25, 2009,

Post-Gongmeng era, New Citizens’ Movement, 2013 arrest

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 was placed under house arrest for more than three months, before being formally arrested on August 22.NEWS, Chris, Buckley, Formal Arrest of Advocate Is Approved by China, August 23, 2013, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/world/asia/chinese-rights-advocate-is-formally-arrested.html, 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 internetNEWS, In Beijing, Xu Zhiyong’s Closing Statement Channels Freedom, Justice And Love, January 27, 2014, HuffPost,www.huffpost.com/entry/xu-zhiyong-closing-statement-beijing_n_4673856, and raised tremendous support.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} On January 26, Xu was sentenced to four years in prison for “gathering crowds to disrupt public order”. Prior to the verdict, whose date had been expected, lawyer Zhang said about the case: “We can say it was decided even before the trial.“WEB,apnews.com/article/e9d7a5f3f939478193c95f8111854432, Chinese grassroots activist goes on trial in south, Didi, Tang, Associated Press, Associated Press, AP, January 24, 2014, October 9, 2021, He was released in 2017.WEB,edition.cnn.com/2023/04/10/china/china-lawyers-xu-zhiyong-ding-jiaxi-sentences-intl-hnk/index.html, Two prominent Chinese civil rights lawyers jailed for more than a decade for subversion, Nectar, Gan, CNN News, April 10, 2023, April 10, 2023,

2020 arrest

Xu and other human rights activists were wanted by police for their participation in a meeting in Xiamen on December 13, 2019WEB,www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/world/asia/coronavirus-china-xu-zhiyong.html, China detains activist who accused Xi of Coronavirus cover-up, Javier C., Hernández, New York Times, February 17, 2020, March 17, 2021, WEB,www.rfa.org/english/news/china/activist-02082021105311.html, Chinese police hold women’s rights activist thousands of miles from home, Qing, Han, Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie, Radio Free Asia, February 8, 2021, March 17, 2021, where “democratic transition in China” was discussed. 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.NEWS, Chinese scholar blames Xi Jinping, Communist Party for not controlling coronavirus outbreak, February 6, 2020, Jun, Mai, Mimi, Lau, South China Morning Post,www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3049233/chinese-scholar-blames-xi-jinping-communist-party-not, He was arrested in Guangzhou on February 15, 2020, according to two fellow activists.WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/17/chinese-activist-arrested-xi-jinping-clueless-coronavirus-xu-zhiyong, Chinese activist detained after calling Xi Jinping ‘clueless’ on coronavirus crisis, Verna, Yu, February 17, 2020, The Guardian, In November 2021, Liang Xiaojun, the lawyer of Xu, had his license cancelled by authorities, with the notification letter citing his online support for Falun Gong and “vilifying” the Chinese constitution and laws. Liang said he had spoken a day earlier via video chat with Xu, who according to Liang was in good health and unshaken in his dissident convictions.WEB,www.rfi.fr/cn/中国/20211127-许志永律师梁小军被告知吊销执照, 许志永律师梁小军被通告将吊销执照, Liang Xiaojun, lawyer of Xu Zhiyong, is notified of the cancellation of his license, Radio France Internationale, November 27, 2021, November 30, 2021, zh-hans, On 18 March 2022 ahead of the EU-China summit, Xu was among the shortlist of human rights defenders called for release in a joint NGO letter to the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council.WEB, Joint NGO letter ahead of EU-China summit,www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/18/joint-ngo-letter-ahead-eu-china-summit, Human Rights Watch, 25 March 2024, On June 13, 2022, the Intermediate People’s Court of Linyi issued a notice of a pretrial meeting scheduled for June 17.WEB,www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3181703/veteran-chinese-human-rights-lawyers-expected-face-trial-soon, Veteran Chinese human rights lawyers expected to face trial soon, Rui, Guo, South China Morning Post, June 15, 2022, June 16, 2022, Lawyers and a rights group said on June 17 that Xu would stand trial for “subversion” on June 22. He had been indicted on that charge in August 2021, and there had been no information about him since.WEB,www.rfa.org/english/news/china/tria-xuzhiyong-06172022112646.html, Charges against citizens’ movement leader Xu Zhiyong ‘trumped up’: lawyers, Hsiao-hwa, Hsia, Radio Free Asia, June 17, 2017, June 18, 2022, On April 10, 2023, Xu was sentenced after a closed trial to 14 years in prison; fellow human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi was sentenced to 12 years on the same charge.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/world/asia/china-activists-prison.html, China sentences leading rights activists to 14 and 12 years in prison, Vivian, Wang, The New York Times, April 10, 2023, April 10, 2023, In response, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk published his statement, “I am very concerned that two prominent human rights defenders in China – Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong – have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, at variance with international human rights law standards.“WEB, Comment by UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on sentencing of human rights defenders in China,www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/04/comment-un-human-rights-chief-volker-turk-sentencing-human-rights-defenders, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 8 April 2024, Ding and Xu’s convictions were upheld in November 2023.WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/19/china-human-rights-activist-li-qiaochu-trial, China rights activist goes on trial for ‘inciting subversion of state power’, Amy, Hawkins, The Guardian, December 19, 2023, December 28, 2023,

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)
• To Build a Free China: A Citizen’s Journey, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, Colorado, 2017.BOOK, Xu, Zhiyong, To Build a Free China: A Citizen’s Journey, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, Colorado, 2017, 978-1626375840,
• In an open letter addressed to Chinese Paramount leader Xi Jinping, published on 4 February 2020 while Xu was sought by authorities, he accused the Xiong’an project to be “political” and cited it as an instance in which Xi had allegedly shown lack of capability in office. Xu was arrested later that month.WEB, 2020-02-16, 要闻分析 - 逃亡中敢请习退位的许志永再被抓,www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20200216-%E9%80%83%E4%BA%A1%E4%B8%AD%E6%95%A2%E8%AF%B7%E4%B9%A0%E9%80%80%E4%BD%8D%E7%9A%84%E8%AE%B8%E5%BF%97%E6%B0%B8%E5%86%8D%E8%A2%AB%E6%8A%93, 2023-05-05, RFI - 法国国际广播电台, zh-Hans,

Awards

• Foreign Policy – Top 100 Global Thinkers, 2013WEB, 2013 Global Thinkers, December 29, 2013, Foreign Policy,foreignpolicy.com/2013_global_thinkers/public/zhiyong,
• PEN America – PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, 2020. Xu’s partner Li Qiaochu, also an activist, accepted the award on his behalf in December 2020.WEB,www.rfa.org/english/news/china/activists-crackdown-01252021082807.html, China Steps up Charges Against Activists Who Called For Political Change, Feng, Gao, Chingman, Radio Free Asia, January 25, 2021, February 16, 2021, WEB,pen.org/2020-pen-barbey-freedom-to-write-award/, 2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award: Xu Zhiyong, PEN America, June 4, 2020, February 16, 2021,
• Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, 2024 WEB, Smith, Christopher H., Merkley, Jeffrey A., 2024?,www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/Nobel%20Letter%206.0_0.pdf, Congressional-Executive Commission on China,
  • On January 31, 2024, Chair Representative Smith Christopher and Co-Chair Senator Jeff Merkley of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China nominated Xu to receive the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his “commitment to human rights and peace in China”.

See also

• Weiquan movement
• New Citizens’ Movement (China)

References

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External links

• {{Twitter}}

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