After being released from prison in 2022, 709 lawyer and Chinese criminal law PhD Zhou Shifeng continued to be tightly controlled by the authorities. He recently filed a lawsuit with the Beijing Internet Court, suing Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd. in Shenzhen (referred to as Tencent below), accusing the company of permanently disabling his WeChat account, violating his freedom of communication, personal dignity, and property rights.
According to Radio Free Asia reported on February 4th, Zhou Shifeng officially submitted a civil lawsuit to the Beijing Internet Court via postal service on Monday (February 3rd). He accused Tencent of abusing its monopoly position by unilaterally permanently banning his two WeChat accounts without providing specific evidence of violations or prior notice.
Zhou Shifeng’s WeChat accounts were permanently blocked on November 22, 2024, rendering all social functions inoperable. The reason for the ban was stated as “internet-related policies and laws require.” Despite numerous attempts to communicate with Tencent, they refused to respond.
Zhou Shifeng believes that Tencent not only seriously infringed on his freedom of communication, personal dignity, and property rights but also caused significant disruptions in his life, work, and rights defense actions. In his lawsuit, he cited instances where he was unable to receive school fee notifications for his children, missed messages about his daughter’s early dismissal from school, couldn’t provide medical insurance for his daughter, pay utility bills, and parking fees, among other issues. His social interactions were also severely impacted.
Zhou Shifeng stated that Tencent’s permanent ban on his WeChat accounts is further evidence of acting as a political thug, aiming to retaliate against him for exposing the misdeeds of the political clique led by Sun Lijun and Meng Jianzhu in orchestrating the 709 mass arrests. He brought five lawsuits to court, including requesting the removal of the permanent ban on his two WeChat accounts, restoration of all social functions, a public apology, publication of a notice on the WeChat platform clarifying his lack of any violations, compensation for economic losses and emotional distress amounting to 100,000 RMB, and bearing all legal expenses in the case.
On July 9, 2015, the Chinese Communist authorities cracked down on human rights lawyers and activists across the country, with over 300 people arrested, known as the “709” case. Zhou Shifeng, former director of the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, was a central figure in the incident. He was charged with “subverting state power” and served seven years and two and a half months in prison until his release on September 23, 2022, returning to his home in Beijing.
Despite his release, Zhou Shifeng continued to be closely monitored by the authorities, with restrictions on his outings and meetings. In January 2024, it was revealed that his home in Beijing was under continuous surveillance, with three security personnel on the stairs, two security guards downstairs, a national security officer, and a police officer.
Zhou Shifeng remains steadfast in his struggle against the authorities. Shortly after his release, he published a lengthy article overseas documenting the behind-the-scenes of the 709 case, attributing it to the political clique of Fu Zhenghua and Sun Lijun. He called for the continued removal of remnants of the Fu-Sun clique. In May 2023, he wrote to the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, demanding the rectification of the “709 unjust case” manufactured by the “Sun Lijun political clique.”
On the eve of the 9th anniversary of the “709” case, Zhou Shifeng’s wife, Zhang Meiying, passed away in a hospital in Anyang, Henan, at the age of 56. Zhou Shifeng mentioned that his wife had been ill for a long time, unable to afford and provide social security for his wife during his imprisonment, leading to her deteriorating health due to the lack of medical treatment.
Zhou Shifeng was awarded the “Oscar China Human Rights Award” last year.
Human rights lawyer Chen Jiangan, who is now in the United States, once said that after his release, Zhou Shifeng briefly focused on recovering his health, then proceeded to document his persecution in a lengthy article. Now, he is gradually starting to appeal and defend his rights. This form of resistance within the Chinese Communist circle may not bring hopes of vindication or overturning the case, but the action itself represents his indomitable spirit, illustrating a lawyer’s unwavering pursuit of the rule of law, human rights, freedom, and fairness.