Human rights organizations sounded the alarm on Tuesday over the deteriorating health of Chinese legal scholar and human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly a month to protest his ongoing ill-treatment in detention. Xu, a key figure in China’s New Citizens’ Movement, has been held since February 2020, following his involvement in a meeting of activists and lawyers advocating for government transparency and civil rights.

Xu’s hunger strike, which began on October 4, 2024, has sparked growing concern as his health rapidly declines in Lunan Prison, Shandong Province. The activist, who is being held under harsh conditions, has reportedly been denied access to legal counsel and has faced severe restrictions on communication with his family. His detention has been marked by intense surveillance and psychological harassment, compounded by a lack of medical care despite his deteriorating health.

Xu and his colleague Ding Jiaxi, a human rights lawyer, were sentenced in April 2023 to lengthy prison terms of 14 and 12 years, respectively, on charges of “subversion of state power” for their involvement in the December 2019 gathering. Their trial was conducted behind closed doors, with procedural irregularities, including the exclusion of their families and diplomats, and forced non-disclosure agreements imposed on their legal teams. Human rights advocates have condemned the charges as politically motivated and designed to silence dissent.

Human Rights Watch and other organizations have expressed deep concerns about the Chinese government’s repression of human rights defenders, especially those advocating for freedoms of expression and assembly. The European Union has expressed concern over Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan’s human rights, seeking to ensure that they are not subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in detention. 

Maya Wang, Associate China Director at Human Rights Watch, stated, “The fact that Xu is resorting to a hunger strike to protest his conditions is a clear testament to how harshly and badly he is being treated”. Xu’s case highlights a broader crackdown on civil society under President Xi Jinping, who has expanded the use of national security laws to target activists and critics of the government.

International human rights groups are urging China to release Xu and all other human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained, calling for an end to the use of “subversion” charges to target peaceful dissent. Amnesty International and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Xu and Ding, and for the Chinese authorities to guarantee their physical and psychological well-being.

As the situation for Xu Zhiyong grows increasingly dire, global pressure continues to mount for the Chinese government to respect the fundamental rights of those it has imprisoned for peaceful activism.