Li Yanxiang
Li Yanxiang is a petitioner who has worked for years to obtain justice for herself and others for unjust appropriation of property by local officials. In addition to providing training and solidarity to other petitioners, Li Yanxiang has also participated in advocacy efforts for detained activists Fan Mugen and Ding Hanzhong and human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang.
Chinese human rights defenders work across a wide spectrum of issues, engaging with rights violators on numerous levels. Many of China’s most prominent and most stringently prosecuted defenders have worked to protect the health and well-being of victims of physically harmful government and corporate practice, including forced abortion, food health scandals, environmental pollution, and corrupt or negligent government action leading to preventable loss of life. Other Chinese HRDs work to protect the economic rights of Chinese citizens, advocating for victims of property appropriation, forced demolition, and violation of labour contracts. Still others take on cases of freedom of expression for China’s ethnic and religious minorities.
