On 9 July 2015 the Chinese authorities launched an extensive crackdown on activists, lawyers, human rights defenders and their friends and family members. Dubbed the ‘709 Crackdown’ after the date on which it began, the campaign saw over 300 people detained, interrogated or imprisoned.
It is regarded as one of the worst crackdowns on human rights defenders in China’s history, and marked the start of a relentless stifling of dissent and activism that continues to date.
On the tenth anniversary of the crackdown, CSW presents an account from Christian lawyer Xiangui Fang who was caught up in it, and who has since had to flee China after the authorities threatened him with further imprisonment for continuing to defend human rights cases after his release:
Continue reading “‘Do but don’t speak’: The impact of China’s 709 Crackdown ten years on”