U.S. Officials and Activists Demand Release of Chinese Activist Xu Zhiyong Amid Hunger Strike and Prison Abuses

As Chinese civil rights activist Xu Zhiyong’s health reportedly worsens due to a nearly month-long hunger strike in protest of inhumane prison conditions, U.S. officials and human rights advocates are urging the Chinese government to release him. Xu, a respected legal scholar and prominent figure in China’s New Citizens’ Movement, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in April 2023, charged with “subverting state power”—an accusation frequently used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to detain dissidents.

In a public statement on October 28, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns expressed concerns over Xu’s condition and called on the Chinese government to uphold human rights in line with its international obligations. “We urge the PRC to release Mr. Xu and, in the interim, to treat him, and all prisoners, with dignity in accordance with [United Nations’] member state obligations,” Burns said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Activism and Advocacy Spark Global Attention

Xu Zhiyong’s imprisonment is the latest chapter in his long history of activism, which began in the early 2000s when he provided legal support to migrant workers, petitioners, and individuals mistreated by authorities. Xu’s advocacy for transparency and fair access to education soon put him on the CCP’s radar. In 2013, he served four years in prison for “gathering a crowd to disturb public order.”

The New Citizens’ Movement, a grassroots organization Xu helped found, campaigns for civic rights and demands that CCP officials disclose their wealth. Authorities linked Xu’s recent 14-year sentence to his involvement in the movement, and to a private meeting in Xiamen with other advocates in 2020 that discussed rights-based initiatives. Xu was detained shortly afterward, but not before he had published an open letter urging CCP leader Xi Jinping to resign, criticizing Xi’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repression of freedoms in Hong Kong.

Xu’s current hunger strike, which he began on October 4, calls for an end to his isolation and protests the harsh treatment he has endured. Reports indicate that Xu has been subjected to forced labor, solitary confinement, and other forms of mistreatment, according to a statement from Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), chair and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The two lawmakers condemned China’s treatment of Xu, describing his conditions as “torture” and calling for his immediate release.

International Appeals for Xu’s Release

Human rights organizations, including PEN America, have also voiced alarm over Xu’s deteriorating health and limited contact with his family. PEN America, which awarded Xu its 2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, released a statement underscoring their concerns. Liesl Gerntholtz, managing director of PEN’s Freedom to Write Center, emphasized the troubling reports that prison authorities have denied Xu access to basic reading and writing materials. “We are particularly concerned about the critical condition of Xu’s health after weeks of hunger strike,” Gerntholtz stated.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has similarly called for international intervention, urging the global community to increase pressure on Beijing. RSF’s East Asia Bureau Director Cédric Alviani said, “Political commentator Xu Zhiyong was only serving the public interest by commenting on the political situation and should never be arrested, not to mention tortured and sentenced to such a harsh prison term.” Alviani’s statement called on the international community to press for the release of not only Xu but also 114 detained journalists and press freedom defenders currently held in Chinese prisons.

Broader Context of Suppression

Xu Zhiyong’s case highlights a broader crackdown by the Chinese government on political activists, lawyers, and journalists. Several members of the New Citizens’ Movement, including co-founder Ding Jiaxi, are currently imprisoned under similar charges; Ding was sentenced to 12 years by a court in Shandong Province in April 2023, a sentence delivered alongside Xu’s. Such cases underscore the restrictive political climate in China, where dissent is often met with severe punishment, and where private gun ownership is restricted, leading many attackers to resort to knives and improvised explosives.

As Xu’s health condition becomes more critical, U.S. officials, human rights advocates, and international organizations continue to appeal to the Chinese government, advocating not only for his release but also for more humane treatment of all political prisoners in the country.