“No Deals without Freedom: Freeing Political Prisoners in China”
May 11, 2026 Comments Off on “No Deals without Freedom: Freeing Political Prisoners in China”
Remarks by Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director, Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders
Sophie Richardson photo from Dan Garrett
On behalf of the more than four thousand political prisoners wrongfully held by the Chinese government since 2019—1,451 of them still arbitrarily detained today, and all documented by CHRD—I thank you for the opportunity to join this gathering.
In a just world, Jimmy Lai and Zhang Zhan and Dong Yuyu would be debating which op-eds to run, which news to cover—and any and all news readers across China and the world would be able to access that information, safely and without fear.
Pastors Gao Quanfu and Ezra Jin Mingri and the Panchen Lama might be convening their own interfaith dialogue, and all who want to listen would be able to do so freely and without fear.
In a just world Dr. Gulshan Abbas would be playing with her grandchildren, and Ding Jiaxi would be designing civics classes for them and kids across the country—safely and without fear. Those children would be learning in the language of their choice, and Ekpar Asat would be supporting and perhaps streaming that project—safely and without fear.
We know that fear is ultimately a dictator’s only tool. Authoritarians bank on intimidating and harassing people into silence, and they bank on people in free societies—including democratically elected leaders—shrugging and looking away—or never looking at all—at crimes against humanity and genocide.
Slowly the leaders of some democracies are starting to grasp that the Chinese government’s human rights abuses are a leading export—baked into its diplomatic supply chain—and are causing harms globally. It’s good to see the modest steps towards confronting transnational repression, but eradicating it requires addressing the root causes. That means pressing for credible investigations into and accountability for atrocity crimes through international mechanisms, and support to independent civil society across the country. It also means democracies fulfilling their obligations under international human rights law—their violations are a gift to Xi Jinping.
We’re here today not just to remind the world of Beijing’s appalling and unrelenting human rights abuses. We’re also here to imagine what a future across China and the world could look like if all political prisoners were finally free. Not a single one of those 1,451 people should have spent a day in detention; we call for all their releases now. Their fates are all our fates, and we won’t stop fighting until everyone—inside and outside China—can live safely and without fear, free and with their human rights guaranteed.
“No Deals without Freedom: Freeing Political Prisoners in China”
May 11, 2026 Comments Off on “No Deals without Freedom: Freeing Political Prisoners in China”Remarks by Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director, Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders
On behalf of the more than four thousand political prisoners wrongfully held by the Chinese government since 2019—1,451 of them still arbitrarily detained today, and all documented by CHRD—I thank you for the opportunity to join this gathering.
In a just world, Jimmy Lai and Zhang Zhan and Dong Yuyu would be debating which op-eds to run, which news to cover—and any and all news readers across China and the world would be able to access that information, safely and without fear.
Pastors Gao Quanfu and Ezra Jin Mingri and the Panchen Lama might be convening their own interfaith dialogue, and all who want to listen would be able to do so freely and without fear.
In a just world Dr. Gulshan Abbas would be playing with her grandchildren, and Ding Jiaxi would be designing civics classes for them and kids across the country—safely and without fear. Those children would be learning in the language of their choice, and Ekpar Asat would be supporting and perhaps streaming that project—safely and without fear.
We know that fear is ultimately a dictator’s only tool. Authoritarians bank on intimidating and harassing people into silence, and they bank on people in free societies—including democratically elected leaders—shrugging and looking away—or never looking at all—at crimes against humanity and genocide.
Slowly the leaders of some democracies are starting to grasp that the Chinese government’s human rights abuses are a leading export—baked into its diplomatic supply chain—and are causing harms globally. It’s good to see the modest steps towards confronting transnational repression, but eradicating it requires addressing the root causes. That means pressing for credible investigations into and accountability for atrocity crimes through international mechanisms, and support to independent civil society across the country. It also means democracies fulfilling their obligations under international human rights law—their violations are a gift to Xi Jinping.
We’re here today not just to remind the world of Beijing’s appalling and unrelenting human rights abuses. We’re also here to imagine what a future across China and the world could look like if all political prisoners were finally free. Not a single one of those 1,451 people should have spent a day in detention; we call for all their releases now. Their fates are all our fates, and we won’t stop fighting until everyone—inside and outside China—can live safely and without fear, free and with their human rights guaranteed.
Thank you very much.