was limited progress in recognizing the tortured by being bound to an iron “tiger rights of LGBTI people in Hong Kong. chair” with their limbs contorted for more BACKGROUND than 10 hours per day for many days. They were indicted for “subversion of state power” 2 On 10 June the National People’s Congress in October. Standing Committee passed an anti- Xu Zhiyong’s partner, the human rights sanctions law to counter foreign sanctions defender Li Qiaochu, was again detained on amid increasing international pressure 6 February. On 15 March, she was charged against grave human rights violations across with “inciting subversion of state power” for the country. demanding Xu Zhiyong’s release and better The government called for a reduction in treatment. Her mental health deteriorated 3 abortions that are not “medically necessary” during her detention. and promulgated a law allowing married Formally arrested in 2017, human rights couples to have up to three children, lawyer Li Yuhan, who defended other human following a further decline in birth rates. rights lawyers, stood trial on 20 October HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND charged with “fraud” and “picking quarrels ACTIVISTS and provoking trouble”. Former prisoner of conscience and human Severe crackdowns on human rights rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who was a vital defenders continued. The authorities arrested voice for the vulnerable for many years, and detained many human rights defenders remained missing, his exact location and and activists for lengthy periods under condition unclear since August 2017. unjustifiable, broadly defined and vaguely Human rights defender Yang Maodong (pen worded charges. Without access to family name Guo Feixiong) went missing on 29 and to lawyers of their choosing, as well as January, the morning after he began a effective fair trial mechanisms, many human hunger strike at Shanghai’s Pudong rights defenders were reportedly subjected to International Airport to protest against the torture and other ill-treatment while in authorities preventing him from leaving the detention. The authorities often continued to country to visit his critically ill wife in the monitor, harass and intimidate individuals USA.4 after their release and restrict their freedom Human rights lawyer Chang Weiping was of movement. officially charged with “subversion of state Six years after the unprecedented “709 power” on 16 April, six months after police crackdown” against human rights defenders officers detained him for publicly detailing and lawyers, which involved a series of torture he experienced when detained in coordinated raids across China, many January 2020. At the end of the year, he was lawyers remained in prison or under strict being held incommunicado at Feng County surveillance. Detention Centre.5 Detained since January 2018 and Yang Hengjun, a writer and government sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in critic, stood trial behind closed doors in May. June 2020, prominent human rights lawyer A verdict had not been released by the end of Yu Wensheng was finally permitted a visit at the year. Detained for more than 36 months, Nanjing Prison on 9 May from his wife and he continued to deny all allegations of son. According to his wife, he appeared to be espionage and had endured hundreds of malnourished and in deteriorating health.1 hours of interrogation and ill-treatment. Legal scholar Xu Zhiyong and former In August, Cheng Yuan, Liu Yongze and Wu human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi were Gejianxiong, the founder and staff members permitted to speak to their lawyers in January of the NGO Changsha Funeng, were following lengthy incommunicado detention. sentenced to between two and five years in Both men revealed that they had been prison in a secret trial for advocating for the Amnesty International Report 2021/22 125