US State Department honours Chinese activist Ding Jiaxi as a ‘global human rights defender’
- Ding, a lawyer associated with the New Citizens’ Movement, was indicted for ‘subversion of state power’ and tried in secret last year with no verdict announced
- He is one of 10 activists praised by the US for having ‘leadership and courage while promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms’
Ding, an engineer turned lawyer, is one of the highest-profile targets of China’s crackdown on human rights lawyers and legal scholars.
His advocacy goes back over a decade when he joined the New Citizens’ Movement, a loose collection of individuals that encouraged people to exercise their constitutional rights. The movement supported independent candidates to run in local elections, pushed officials to disclose their personal finances and demanded educational equality for migrant children.
His work with the movement was cited in his 2021 indictment in Chinese court and highlighted in the award news release.
Ding has been repeatedly jailed for his activism since 2013. In 2021, he was indicted for “subversion of state power”. Last year, he was tried in secret in Shandong province with no verdict announced.
In a statement to the court during his first trial in 2014, Ding said, “I want to be a citizen who has an opinion and a voice. I want to be a butterfly. The incessant fluttering of the wings of butterflies will certainly fan the wind of social transformation.”