Joint Statement | The Chinese Regime Must Release Blank Paper Protesters and Open Up Freedom of Expression Regarding Covid-19

英文連署全文連結(English version)

Key Highlights of the Joint Statement:

On International Women's Day, organizations worldwide called on the Chinese government to release and drop all charges against editor Ts'ao Chih-hsin, writer Li Szu-ch'i, accountant Li Yüan-ching, and teacher Chai Teng-jui.

On November 27, 2022, Ts'ao Chih-hsin, Li Szu-ch'i, Li Yüan-ching, and Chai Teng-jui, along with others, participated in a memorial event by the Liangma River to mourn the victims of the Urumqi fire. Two days after the event (November 29), Beijing police summoned these four women and other attendees, confiscating their mobile phones and other devices. They were subsequently released.

On December 18, 2022, the Beijing Chaoyang District police criminally detained Li Szu-ch'i, Li Yüan-ching, followed by Chai Teng-jui on December 22, and Ts'ao Chih-hsin on December 23. Among them, Ts'ao recorded a video after her detention, which was released by her friend on January 16, 2023. In the video, she stated that friends were forced to sign blank criminal detention notices listing no charges. She stated that the group's starting point was "caring for society. What we did was a normal expression as citizens."

On January 19, 2023, the aforementioned four women were formally arrested by police on charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." All four were held in the Beijing Chaoyang District Detention Center. The organizations believe that the police detention of Ts'ao Chih-hsin, Li Szu-ch'i, Li Yüan-ching, and Chai Teng-jui appears to be retaliation for their participation in the November 27 protest and their use of the Telegram messaging app (which many protesters used to organize actions). They face up to five years in prison, or potentially ten years if the offense is deemed serious.

All four women are in their mid-20s with no activist background. Friends describe them as feminists with a global perspective, interested in literature, and opposed to social injustice. They are all recent postgraduate graduates from prestigious universities. Ts'ao Chih-hsin found her "dream job" at Peking University Press, Li Szu-ch'i and Li Yüan-ching had both studied abroad, and Chai Teng-jui planned to apply for studies in Norway.

On February 17, 2023, the European Union called on the Chinese government to release the four women, stating that their detention violated due process.

Under international or Chinese law, these four women have committed no crime. The Chinese Constitution guarantees citizens freedom of speech and the right to freely criticize government policies. By targeting Ts'ao Chih-hsin, Li Szu-ch'i, Li Yüan-ching, and Chai Teng-jui with criminal prosecution, the Chinese government has violated internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

08 March: On International Women’s Day, PEN International, PEN America, and 23 other groups call on the Chinese government to release and drop all charges against editor Cao Zhixin (曹芷馨), writer Li Siqi (李思琪), accountant Li Yuanjing (李元婧), and teacher Zhai Dengrui (翟登蕊). Beijing police arrested the four women for participating in a memorial protest on November 27, 2022. We also call on Chinese authorities to release and drop charges against all other individuals in China detained for freely expressing themselves during the “Blank Paper” protests of November-December, many of whom were women, and to end its suppression of speech about the COVID-19 pandemic.

On November 27, Cao Zhixin, Li Siqi, Li Yuanjing, and Zhai Dengrui and dozens of other Beijing residents attended a memorial on the banks of the Liangma River to commemorate the victims of a fire in Urumqi in the Uyghur region three days prior. The vigil morphed into a protest against the Chinese government’s then-in-place “zero-COVID” policies as well as expressions of broader discontent with the Chinese Communist Party. It was part of a wave of protests in China that broke out in reportedly at least 31 cities that weekend. Two days after the protest, on November 29, Beijing police summoned the four women and other attendees for questioning, and confiscated their phones and other devices. They were then released.

Beijing Chaoyang District police returned and criminally detained Li Siqi and Li Yuanjing on December 18, Zhai Dengrui on December 22, and Cao Zhixin on December 23. Other individuals were detained during this police sweep but later released on bail. Cao recorded a video after the detentions began which was released by her friends on January 16. In the video she said several of her friends were forced to sign blank criminal detention notices that didn’t list any charges. She also asserted the motivations of the group: “We care about society. What we did was a normal expression as citizens.”

On January 19, 2023, the four women were formally arrested on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” and the following day Cao Zhixin was granted the first visit with her lawyer. All four are being held at Chaoyang District Detention Center in Beijing. The detentions of Cao Zhixin, Li Siqi, Li Yuanjing, and Zhai Dengrui appear to be solely in retaliation for attending the November 27 protest and using the Telegram messaging app, which many protesters used to organize. They face up to five years in prison, or ten years if their offense is deemed serious.

These four women, all in their mid-20s, had no activism background. Their friends describe them as feminists with global perspectives, an interest in literature, and combating social injustice. They had all recently graduated with postgraduate degrees from prestigious universities. Cao Zhixin worked in a “dream job” as an editor with Peking University Press, Li Siqi and Li Yuanjing had both studied overseas, and Zhai Dengrui had planned to apply to study in Norway.

On February 17, the European Union called on the Chinese government to release all four women, asserting that they had been detained in disregard of due process requirements.

These four women have not committed any offense under international or domestic Chinese law. China’s constitution purports to enshrine the right to freedom of speech and the right to freely express criticism of government policies. By targeting Cao Zhixin, Li Siqi, Li Yuanjing, and Zhai Dengrui with criminal prosecution, the Chinese government is violating their internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The following 25 organizations call on the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release Cao Zhixin, Li Siqi, Li Yuanjing, and Zhai Dengrui and all other “blank paper” protesters, and to end its crackdown on free expression around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Signatory Organizations

• Access Now
• ARTICLE 19
• Campaign for Uyghurs
• Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD)
• CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
• Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
• English PEN
• FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights
• Freedom House
• Georgetown Center for Asian Law
• Hong Kong Democracy Council
• Human Rights in China
• Human Rights Watch
• Humanitarian China
• Independent Chinese PEN Center
• Index on Censorship
• International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
• Judicial Reform Foundation
• National Committee of the Democratic Party of China
• PEN America
• PEN Canada
• PEN International
• PEN Sweden
• Uyghur Human Rights Project
• Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong (DC4HK)