Wang Quanzhang was the last lawyer awaiting a verdict in connection with the Chinese government’s mass crackdown in 2015, which targeted nearly 250 human rights lawyers and activists. “In the three years leading up to his sham of a trial, the authorities disappeared Wang Quanzhang into a black hole, where he was likely tortured”, said Doriane Lau, China Researcher at Amnesty International, in January 2019. “Wang’s family, who continue to be harassed by the authorities, didn’t even know if he was alive until recently. His continued imprisonment only prolongs their suffering.”
At the end of January 2019, a Chinese court found human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang guilty of “subverting state power” and handed him a prison sentence of four and a half years. Amnesty International described the verdict as a gross injustice.
But on April 5, 2020, Wang Quanzhang was released and entered a 14-day quarantine. He was reunited with his family on April 27 in Beijing. His wife who tirelessly campaigned for his release also credited supporters of Amnesty: “Wang Quanzhang is finally home. Your work and help played a big part in bringing him home. In the past five years, we couldn’t have kept fighting without your continuous support. We are very thankful for having all of you by our side in this journey.”
