Ding Jiaxi
Detained Since: December 26, 2019.
Charges: Subversion of state power.
Sentence: 12 years in prison.
Biography: Ding Jiaxi is a human rights lawyer in China imprisoned for his civil rights and government transparency focused political activism. He was previously arrested in April 2013 for his work with the New Citizens’ Movement, a series of civil society activities he led with Xu Zhiyong, and was released in October 2016. Following his release from prison, Ding resumed his activism with Xu.
He was taken by the Shandong Public Security Department (PSD) on December 26, 2019. The PSD held him in a Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL), a secret detention facility, where he endured torture, including sustained interrogation, lack of food and water, and sleep deprivation. After 6 months in the RSDL, he was transferred to a standard detention facility. However, public authorities would not permit any contact with Ding until January 2021. In June 2022, Ding’s case went to trial, where he was charged with “subversion of state power.” In a closed-door trial that lasted a single day, he was convicted in April 2023 and sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by an additional 3 years of supervised release without political rights. Xu was sentenced to 14 years. Human Rights Watch has described their convictions as “cruelly farcical” and called for their sentences to be immediately quashed. At the trial, Ding said “All Chinese who care about our country’s future must shoulder the historical responsibility of our generation, which is to eradicate autocracy and build a beautiful China… As long as we work as one, the light of freedom, democracy and the rule of law will surely shine on the land of China!”
In October 2021, after Ding Jiaxi’s second indictment by Chinese authorities, Ding’s lawyer visited him while he was detained. Ding stated that his yard time was limited and that the food prison authorities served him lacked sufficient nutrition. According to Front Line Defenders at the time, per his lawyer, “He appear[ed] to be suffering from hair loss and there [were] pale white patches developing on his skull, possible symptoms of vitiligo.” Additionally, Ding stated that he was suffering from arthritis, diarrhea, and swollen lower legs. Ding’s lawyer was able to visit him again in October 2023, where he learned that Ding was suffering from high blood pressure that occurred in recurring spikes and was not able to be lowered to a normal level after taking medication. His lawyer said he has continued to insist on regular physical exercise.
Ding Jiaxi is the recipient of the U.S. Department of State's 2023 Global Human Rights Defender Award and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe's 2023 Human Rights Award. He is also an honorary member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center
In January 2024, the co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), nominated Ding Jiaxi, Xu Zhiyong, Ilham Tohti, and Jimmy Lai to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. During the 38th session of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in February 2023, the European Union called for the immediate release of Ding Jiaxi, along with other prisoners of conscience in China. In April 2023, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern upon the announcement of Ding’s sentence, stating: “I am very concerned that two prominent human rights defenders in China—Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong—have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, at variance with international human rights law standards. Human rights law requires that people not be prosecuted or otherwise punished for voicing their criticism of Government policies. It also requires respect for fair trial and due process rights, and proper investigations into any allegations of ill-treatment. I will follow up on these cases with the authorities. It is important that steps are taken to ensure that other human rights defenders are not targeted for exercising their human rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”
Advocate: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Advocacy Partner: PEN America
Updates:
- On April 10, 2024, advocate Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) released a statement to mark the first anniversary of Ding Jiaxi's sentencing which called for his release (April 10, 2024, Office of Congressman Adam Schiff).
- On June 4, 2024, Rep. Schiff highlighted Ding Jiaxi's case in a statement commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Tienanmen Square Massacre (June 4, 2024, Office of Congressman Adam Schiff).
- On August 16, 2024, Rep. Schiff released a statement in recognition of Ding Jiaxi's birthday, which called for his release (August 16, 2024, Office of Congressman Adam Schiff).
- On October 2, 2024, Amnesty International officially designated three human rights defenders from Hong Kong and mainland China as prisoners of conscience, including Ding Jiaxi and Jimmy Lai (October 2, 2024, Amnesty International). The recognition was praised by the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (October 2, 2024, CFHK Foundation).