Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Imprisoned for Participating in Political Activism




In 2015, Wang Quanzhang was among 709 political activists incarcerated for acting against the government of China and promoting human rights within the country. Wang specialized in defending political activists and victims of land seizures, as well as representing banned religious groups in the country. Wang's case stands out from the other activists as he was held in detention for three and a half years before being sentenced to another four and a half years in prison, prompting UN human rights groups to call for his release.

Human rights groups like Amnesty International China have spoken out against the sentencing, calling it unfair and unjust, as no real crime was committed; still, Wang was imprisoned for 'subverting state power,' though he was peacefully standing against human rights abuses in China. Part of Wang's sentence stems from his involvement with the organization China Action, which focuses on training lawyers and providing legal representation to those in need. As part of his sentence, Wang will lose his political rights, such as the right to freedom of speech and will also lose his law license.

Wang's imprisonment is just one of China's many examples of containing political dissidence in recent years; activists are frequently detained for speaking out against government policies and promoting a democratization of the country. This calls into question the effectiveness of the UDHR. Delegates must consider how it can be expanded to protect political activists and human rights supporters from unjust imprisonment. And how can countries like China, which are sponsors to the UDHR, be held accountable for actions that clearly contradict the policies in the document?

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