On January 20, 2025, the newly inaugurated President of the United States, Donald Trump, received congratulations from a group of human rights activists in Shanghai, along with a plea to pay attention to human rights issues in China.
Shanghai human rights activists Gu Guoping, Yu Zhonghuan, Zhang Shunbao, and Liu Dongbao met on January 18 to congratulate the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, and simultaneously called for attention to human rights in China. They took a photo together and uploaded it to the internet, which quickly spread across various social media platforms.
Under the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party, the general population lacks true freedom, let alone individuals advocating for human rights. Despite the existence of a petitioning system under the Party, local governments, in pursuit of political achievements, resort to brutal methods comparable to fascism in suppressing these human rights activists, denying them any basic human rights.
Liu Dongbao, a 67-year-old human rights activist in Shanghai, has faced multiple incarcerations for his activism. Recently, he was heard shouting outside a street office in Jing’an District, Shanghai, advocating for justice against specific officials.
Retired university professor Gu Guoping from Shanghai has been persistently advocating for human rights despite facing years of repression and persecution. Over the past twenty years, he has been repeatedly targeted by government-backed individuals, leading to physical injuries and severe health issues, including being bedridden for six months.
Gu Guoping has been unlawfully detained multiple times, including being sentenced to a year and a half on fabricated charges in 2015. On International Human Rights Day in 2024, he was forcibly returned to Shanghai from Beijing while battling late-stage prostate cancer, severe hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and other complications, leading to a collapse due to exhaustion during the arduous journey.
Zhang Shunbao, who often accompanies Gu Guoping on advocacy trips, has also faced various forms of repression, including being detained in black jails.
Yu Zhonghuan’s residential property was forcibly demolished without compensation in 1994, prompting him to start advocating for human rights. His wife suffered unjust imprisonment due to her activism, eventually passing away in 2022 after being diagnosed with a stroke while hospitalized.
His daughter, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was forcibly sent to a care home by the authorities, where her medical needs were neglected, worsening her condition. Yu Zhonghuan’s own health has deteriorated due to years of harassment, with various serious health issues left untreated.
Yu Zhonghuan has shared his experiences of being harassed and persecuted by local authorities for his advocacy efforts, leading to severe health complications that have been exacerbated by the lack of proper medical care. He highlighted the abuse and mistreatment he has endured at the hands of officials, lamenting the failure of the petitioning system to address grievances and protect the rights of citizens.