Wang Quanzhang, a rights activist who was sentenced to four and a half years was released on April 5th. The authorities placed him under house arrest in Jinan, Shandong, claiming it was “out of concern for COVID 19.” Li Wenzu, Wang Quanzhang’s wife and his son were in Beijing but they will not be able to meet with him.
Wang Quanzhang is one of China’s human rights lawyers. He handled sensitive cases in Beijing for many years and protected the interests of vulnerable groups, including Falun Gong, Christians, and farmers who lost their farmland. The police arrested him in 2015. The authorities launched a nationwide crackdown on Chinese lawyers and human rights activists on July 9. Wang was “disappeared” for more than a thousand days. He was released after his family made repeated demands and also as a result of pressure from the international community. He is also known as the last person released from the 709 crackdown case. More than 200 people were detained as part of the “709 2015 crackdown.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 5, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/3-04052020113349.html