HRW Calls for Release of Beijing Protester Two Years On

Human Rights Watch urges the immediate release of Peng Lifa, who sparked international attention with anti-government banners in Beijing. Despite disappearance concerns, his call for democratic reform resonates. Protests in China against 'Zero-Covid' policy were partly inspired by Peng's defiant stand on Sitong Bridge.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for the immediate release of Peng Lifa, known for his public dissent against Chinese President Xi Jinping's stringent 'Zero-Covid' policy. Two years ago, on Beijing's Sitong Bridge, Peng displayed banners calling for democratic reforms, sparking widespread attention and concern.

Although authorities have refrained from officially identifying the protester, it is believed that Peng, also referred to as Peng Zaizhou, was taken into custody at the age of 50. HRW's China Associate Director, Maya Wang, highlighted that despite his disappearance, Peng's protest has become a symbol of resistance, resonating domestically and internationally.

The protest, censored swiftly by authorities, echoed through an unprecedented wave of demonstrations in China, triggered by the Zero-Covid measures and a deadly incident in Urumqi. This expression of dissent inspired further protests, including a similar act by activist Fang Yirong in 2024, underlining the ongoing struggle against autocracy.

(With inputs from agencies.)