Appeal: On the 10th Anniversary of China's 709 Crackdown, the International Community Must Continue to Stand with Human Rights Lawyers

July 9, 2025, marks the 10th anniversary of the 709 Crackdown in China—a large-scale, systematic campaign launched by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2015 targeting human rights lawyers, legal professionals, and their families across the country. More than 300 individuals were arrested, detained, or forcibly disappeared. This unprecedented crackdown not only shattered the lives of courageous defenders of justice but also signaled an all-out assault on the rule of law and universal human rights.

Over the past decade, lawyers who dared to defend the rights of vulnerable groups—whose only "crime" was practicing law and speaking truth to power—have faced long-term imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, disbarment, and political persecution under vague charges such as “subverting state power” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Many continue to be harassed, placed under house arrest, or denied passports. Their families have suffered intimidation, surveillance, and collective punishment. The trauma is ongoing.

We therefore solemnly call on:

Governments and Parliaments Around the World:

  • To continue condemning the CCP’s persecution of human rights lawyers, and to make human rights and rule of law a central part of all diplomatic, trade, and legal dialogue with China;
  • To provide political asylum, emergency support, and humanitarian relief to 709 victims and their families, and to support their advocacy and global engagement;
  • To impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials and institutions responsible for human rights violations, including asset freezes and travel bans.

International Human Rights and Legal Organizations:

  • To continue monitoring and reporting on the ongoing repression of 709 lawyers and other rights defenders in China;
  • To support exiled or silenced Chinese lawyers, and build international networks for legal assistance, advocacy, and protection;
  • To commemorate and honor those who have risked everything in the name of justice, ensuring that their courage is recognized and remembered.

Let us be clear:

The 709 Crackdown was not an isolated event. It was part of a broader, systematic effort to crush civil society, dismantle legal independence, and stifle dissent in China. In a country where freedom of expression, association, and due process are all under siege, human rights lawyers are the last line of defense for justice and dignity. Their fate is a measure of the true state of China’s legal and human rights landscape.

At this 10-year mark, we must not be silent. We must not forget. The 709 crackdown has not ended—it has evolved. The persecution continues.

The conscience of humanity must not be limited by borders or silenced by fear. Justice must speak—and the world must listen.


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Appeal letter initiator:

China Democratic Progressive Alliance,
China Democracy Party International Alliance
China Democracy Party European Committee

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Call for signatories:

 

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