Amnesty International has intensified its calls for the release of prominent human rights lawyers, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, urging the Chinese government to rectify what the organization describes as egregious violations of civil liberties. The two lawyers have been jailed for alleged subversion charges following their participation in a social gathering on December 26, 2019, a move Amnesty has termed emblematic of China’s repressive stance against civil society.
Xu and Ding were among several activists detained in what activists have dubbed the “709 Crackdown 2.0,” reminiscent of the mass arrests of over 300 human rights defenders on July 9, 2015, under the guise of national security. This crackdown commenced shortly after the Xiamen gathering, where authorities reportedly forcibly disappeared attendees.
The severity of their sentences, 14 years for Xu Zhiyong and 12 years for Ding Jiaxi, has attracted significant criticism. Amnesty International and other rights organizations, including the Uyghur Human Rights Project, have highlighted the arbitrary nature of their detention, the alleged torture endured, and the highly opaque trial processes. These practices have been condemned by UN Special Rapporteurs as part of a broader pattern of systemic crackdowns on human rights defenders in China.
As international disapproval grows, with multiple NGOs and UN officials urging Beijing to uphold its human rights commitments, actions to support those unjustly incarcerated remain limited. While the pressure to comply with international norms mounts, tangible progress and accountability appear to be distant goals.