Beijing [China], November 5, : Chinese Human Rights lawyer Wang Yu has been hospitalized after her condition significantly worsened following a nine-day hunger strike. She began the strike while in detention, protesting an incident on October 23 outside a courthouse in Hebei province, where she had a confrontation with the police.
Wang's hunger strike was a protest against the authorities' refusal to allow her to meet with her lawyer and family, their denial of proper medical care, and their refusal to let her take a shower, among other grievances.
According to a report from Radio Free Asia, Wang was released from Weicheng County Detention Center on November 1 after serving a short administrative detention for "disrupting public order" following the altercation. Her husband, fellow rights lawyer Bao Longjun, told RFA Mandarin in an interview that he took Wang directly to the hospital.
When Wang was released, she was "completely hunched over and unable to walk," with Bao having to carry her on his back. He was shocked by how much weight she had lost, describing her as feeling "like carrying a sack of cotton wool." He estimated her weight to be around 30 kilograms (70 pounds).
After being examined at Wei County People's Hospital, doctors discovered a "shadow" on her liver, prompting Bao to transfer her to the well-known Handan Central Hospital. There, she was put on an IV drip and slowly began to eat solid food again, according to Bao.
Bao and Wang, who were among the first individuals targeted in the mass arrests, detentions, and harassment of over 300 rights lawyers, public interest law firm staff, and activists across China in July 2015, are currently staying in a hotel while planning Wang's ongoing medical treatment.
Police had detained Wang and fellow rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong after they arrived at the Wei County People's Court to defend their client, Liu Meixiang, who was facing corruption charges. A confrontation broke out when police confiscated the camera of a family member attempting to take photos, according to a lawyer present at the scene who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Bao submitted a legal opinion through formal channels on day 7 of Wang's hunger strike out of concern for her health, but the authorities refused to accept the document, he said. Bao added, "I asked them to send Wang Yu to the hospital, and I went to the detention center, rang the doorbell, and requested to meet with her so she could eat and drink. They lied to me, saying there was no need for that and that she had eaten the night before, but she hadn't eaten anything at all".
Bao also stated his intention to take Wang to Beijing and Tianjin for consultations with other medical professionals. He plans to appeal her administrative sentence as a public protest against the treatment she has received. "There's no rule of law in this country, so all we can do now is speak out on our own behalf," Bao said.
The report also highlighted the release of rights lawyer Qin Yongpei in Guangxi, who had completed a five-year prison sentence for "incitement to subvert state power." Qin returned home to Nanning city on October 31, but his wife declined to comment when contacted by RFA Mandarin, citing it was "inconvenient"--a phrase often used to suggest pressure from the authorities.
Qin had been arrested in November 2021 during a raid on his Baijuying legal consultancy firm in Nanning. His wife has previously stated that Qin had frequently spoken out against misconduct and injustices committed by police and local judicial officials, which likely made him a target for local law enforcement.
U.S.-based human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping stated that Qin had not violated any laws through his consultancy work, despite being disbarred. "He was accused of inciting subversion of state power only because he posted many of his personal opinions on the internet," Wu said.
"Everything he did complied with the law and human justice in any normal country." He added.