We offer our condolences following the passing of Zhang Qing, wife of Chinese human rights activist and defender Guo Feixiong (also known as Yang Maodong). The People's Republic of China (PRC) authorities have subjected Guo to years of mistreatment, imprisonment, routine harassment and surveillance, and denied foreign travel for his peaceful advocacy on behalf of the Chinese people. Guo was detained in January 2021 when he attempted to board a plane from Shanghai to the United States and is currently being held incommunicado. We call on the PRC to immediately grant Guo humanitarian relief and allow his travel to the United States to be reunited with his children and grieve the passing of his wife.
As we and other countries have consistently done, we urge the PRC to live up to its international commitments on human rights and end its use of arbitrary detentions and politically motivated exit bans. The PRC must stop punishing individuals for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
