Chinese human rights leader Zhu Yufu arrives in Los Angeles after 16 years in prison.

On Sunday afternoon, July 28th, the democracy advocate Zhu Yufu successfully arrived at Los Angeles International Airport in the United States. As one of the founders of the China Democracy Party, he has been imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party multiple times, spending a total of 16 years behind bars. On that day, a welcoming crowd, including Mr. Zhu’s family and members of the China Democracy Party in the U.S. waited for three hours, finally cheering as Zhu Yufu appeared in a wheelchair at the arrival area.

Zhu Yufu was born in Hangzhou in 1953 and is a talented individual skilled in various arts such as calligraphy and painting. Since the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution in 1978, Mr. Zhu has been active in advocating for human rights in a China where they were frequently trampled upon. He founded the Democracy Wall movement, supported students during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, and was involved in establishing the China Democracy Party in 1998.

At the airport’s B terminal, banners were raised by the crowd with messages like “Welcome Mr. Zhu Yufu” and “Welcome Founder of the China Democracy Party, Zhu Yufu, to the U.S.” Friends and family greeted him with flowers, eagerly shaking hands and embracing Zhu Yufu. Prominent U.S. democracy leaders such as Chen Weiming, Wang Juntao, and Zheng Cunzhu also greeted their old friend warmly.

Zhu Yufu, despite his slim stature, spoke loudly, saying, “I am very happy.” He expressed gratitude to the U.S. government for helping him to reach the free world and thanked his supportive friends. Zhu Yufu mentioned that his ability to leave China was due to his illness; doctors and the Chinese Public Security believed he would not live past six months, but he unexpectedly pulled through. Just a few days before his overseas visa expired, the Chinese authorities were pressuring him to return to the mainland, so he felt escaping was a twist of fate.

Zhu Yufu’s sister Zhu Xiaoyan and his daughter Zhu Li were also present at the airport to greet him. “I haven’t seen my dad in over a decade,” Zhu Li said, expressing complex emotions about finally reuniting with her family after so many years, “The wait has been too long.” Zhu Li mentioned that she left her father when she was 11, and in the blink of an eye, over 20 years had passed, with most of her life spent without him.

“I feel a mix of emotions that are indescribable,” Zhu Xiaoyan said, expressing both joy at reuniting with her loved one and sadness at seeing her brother so thin from surgery that his entire stomach had been removed. She hopes for his recovery from his illness.

“It’s been a journey of separation and reunion for this family, and now Zhu Yufu is in his 70s, and it has been full of twists and turns,” Zhu Xiaoyan said. “It wasn’t easy with so many people working to rescue him for over a year.” She had trouble sleeping due to worrying about her brother’s journey, only finding peace once he had safely boarded the plane.

Zheng Cunzhu, the Chairperson of the China Democracy Party Headquarters, expressed relief at Zhu Yufu’s safe arrival in the U.S. He explained that at the beginning of the year, Zhu Yufu’s late-stage stomach cancer led to efforts by his family and various parties to secure therapy in Japan, with further assistance from lawyers such as Fu Xiqiu and Chen Chuangchuang to make his journey to the U.S. possible.

Activists in the democracy circle were elated. Prior to Zhu Yufu’s arrival, leaders such as Zhou Fengsuo, Chen Liqun, and Chen Chuangchuang had already congratulated him on social media. Chen Chuangchuang learned of Zhu Yufu’s journey to the U.S. last week but refrained from announcing it earlier due to the Chinese authorities closely monitoring Zhu’s whereabouts in Japan and pressuring him to return home.

Chen Weiming, the founder of Liberty Sculpture Park, referred to Zhu Yufu as a “warrior who emerged from the suffering in prison.” He added that Zhu Yufu’s journey to the U.S. had its challenges: Reverend Fu Xiqiu communicated with the U.S. State Department to secure a special visa for Zhu Yufu, which was extremely difficult. Before boarding the plane, Zhu Yufu collapsed on the street, was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance, and then had to delay his trip.

Wang Juntao, the Chairman of the China Democracy Party, described Zhu Yufu’s arrival in the U.S. as a “significant event for the China Democracy Party in the United States.” He emphasized Zhu’s journey from Zhejiang to Japan for medical treatment and then to the U.S., stating that this was a long-awaited event for many party members that had finally come to fruition.

He recalled many of Zhu Yufu’s quotes that are regarded as inspirational within the democracy community such as “Imprisonment is our job; sometimes release is our chance to go home and rest.” He hoped to hear constructive opinions from Zhu Yufu regarding the development of the China Democracy Party in the U.S., utilizing his capabilities to advance the party’s cause further.

Among the individuals involved in founding the China Democracy Party, over a dozen people have been sentenced to over 10 years in prison.

Zhu Yufu was sentenced to a total of 16 years in prison and faced cruel and harsh treatment during his incarceration. According to Zhu Yufu, he was held in isolation for extended periods, with regulations in place that prohibited anyone from speaking to him. Besides a few supervising officers, no other guards were allowed to enter his cell, and he was even denied access to books or newspapers. The prison served inmates moldy rice for years, and even the basic right to “yard time” was withheld from inmates.

“He (Zhu Yufu) himself is a prime example,” Wang Juntao remarked, highlighting to the international community that human rights violations and political persecution in China remain severe. Regarding why the Chinese authorities prevented Zhu Yufu from seeking medical treatment abroad, Wang Juntao believed it was a way to make dissidents like him “suffer”—denying them what they seek, work, or wish for. If someone wants to leave, they won’t allow it; if someone wants to return, they will block them. The Communist Party simply does not want people to be content.

Zheng Cunzhu stated that in any civilized society, people have the freedom to express their political views. However, in China, the Communist Party mistreats a senior citizen in his 70s in this manner, showing “they (the CCP) have no confidence at all. Their only way to maintain power is through lies and force.”

Zhu Xiaoyan criticized the Chinese authorities’ actions as “inhumane and tragic.” “I can’t find words,” she said, expressing her disbelief at how the Chinese Communist Party treated a critically ill elderly individual as if they were a major threat. “It is utterly heartless. There is no compassion. I find it too cruel!” Zhu Li also questioned, “Why push someone to this extent? As a family member, I am deeply disappointed, angry, and find it incomprehensible.”

The journey of Zhu Yufu highlights the challenges faced by many individuals who stand up against political repression in China. His safe arrival in the U.S. marks a new chapter in his fight for democracy and freedom.