This year marks the tenth anniversary of the "709 Crackdown." Chinese human rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng stated in an interview that the 2015 crackdown was not only a political persecution of human rights lawyers and defenders, but also a historic catastrophe that sought to destroy the Chinese people and global citizens' faith in justice, kindness, and courage. He believes this political disaster was orchestrated by the "Sun Lijun political gang," and its consequences continue to this day.
In 2015, Chinese authorities launched the "709 Crackdown" targeting human rights lawyers and defenders across multiple provinces and cities. Over 300 lawyers, legal assistants, and activists were summoned and interrogated, with more than 20 placed under formal investigation and even prosecuted on charges such as "inciting subversion of state power." Lawyer Zhou Shifeng was arrested on July 10 of that year. After approximately five months of designated residential surveillance, the Tianjin Second Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to seven years in prison and five years' deprivation of political rights for "subversion of state power."
Zhou Shifeng pointed out that the 709 incident was a catastrophe in the history of human civilization. It not only sought to destroy lawyers and human rights activists, but also to destroy the righteous, kind, and courageous souls of the Chinese people and citizens of the world. He said it was a political disaster led by the "Sun Lijun political gang." Since then, China's rule of law has entered a period of abysmal transition, a historical stage that has not yet passed.
Zhou Shifeng believes that human rights lawyers should not have endured these disasters and sufferings and should have been praised by society. However, in certain countries and regions, at a certain historical stage, they have suffered. But this is the moment to be tested.
Since his release from prison in 2022, Zhou Shifeng has been continuously writing ten-thousand-word letters and appeals, which he has submitted to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the National People's Congress, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supreme People's Court, the State Bureau of Letters and Calls, the Tianjin Municipal Procuratorate, the Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, the Public Security Department, the Commission for Discipline Inspection, and even the inspection teams of 16 provinces across the country, hoping that the case will be redressed.
Many Chinese human rights lawyers have been persecuted and forced into exile abroad, but Zhou Shifeng stated that he will not leave China. "This is my country, the people's country."
