Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Lu Siwei was illegally restricted from leaving China and detained, sparking international attention. His wife, Zhang Chunxiao, recently posted on X platform revealing Lu Siwei’s situation of forced labor and restricted communication in prison, demanding the Chinese authorities to release him and withdraw the charges against him.
On November 8, Zhang Chunxiao posted on X, stating that Lu Siwei had been deprived of his freedom for a month, during which he did not receive the books, postcards from friends, and letters sent by his wife.
Last month, when the Los Angeles Chinese community protested outside the Chinese Consulate against the illegal detention of Lu Siwei, they sent him more than a dozen postcards and a Bible as greetings and showing concern. Disappointingly, the Chinese authorities did not allow Lu Siwei to see these ordinary greeting cards.
Zhang Yue, a member of the Chinese Democratic Party living in Los Angeles, revealed that she had expedited a Bible to Lu Siwei. After checking the delivery, the courier service delivered it from Shenyang to Chengdu Detention Center. However, on November 4, the book was refused by the detention center. Zhang Yue learned through private communication with Zhang Chunxiao that Lu Siwei did not receive their letters and postcards.
Zhang Chunxiao stated on X that a lawyer recently met with Lu Siwei, learning that he had been transferred from a cell holding 27 inmates to one holding 32. Inmates are required to work during the day, stand guard for two hours at night, and have relatively poor quality meals for lunch and dinner. Lu Siwei has been deprived of the right to read, as the detention center does not allow books to be sent to him from the outside.
Lu Siwei has represented many politically sensitive cases in China and worked on human rights legally, drawing the authorities’ suspicion. His situation has garnered widespread international attention.
On November 21, several lawyer organizations and human rights groups, including the Law Society of England and Wales, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, Lawyers for Lawyers, Asian Lawyers Network, the “29 Principles” and “The Rights Practice” from the UK, and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, wrote to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Minister of Justice He Rong, the Chinese Embassy in London, and the UK Embassy in China expressing concerns about Lu Siwei’s situation. They pointed out the lack of legitimacy in the charges against him, condemning arbitrary arrest and detention, urging China to abide by the law and release Lu Siwei immediately.
In her post, Zhang Chunxiao mentioned that to support herself and her daughter in the US, Lu Siwei sold his house in Chengdu and rented a place everywhere. Despite having obtained a US visa, his passport was confiscated after being deported from Laos back to China. He had spent nearly four years under intense surveillance, with the family’s condition deteriorating, stating that “this is cruel for anyone.”
“What did Lu Siwei do to deserve this outcome?” she questioned. “He merely handled some human rights cases and did the work his conscience dictated. He is not only innocent, but shouldn’t spend a day in prison; he should be released from the illegal restrictions and reunite with his family in the United States for a normal life.”
“The harsh living environment reflects too much from his individual fate,” Zhang Chunxiao concluded.