Freed Rights Lawyer Vows To Continue Activism

Nearly one year after his release from jail, mainland human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang has promised not to give up his work on activism while, on the personal front, continues to cope with life at home, trying to make up for lost time with his family.

Speaking in an interview with RTHK from his home in Beijing via online video call, Wang said he's still anxious to catch up with the world months after his release. He made it clear even though he had been stripped of his licence to practise as a lawyer, he will not give up on human rights activism.

Wang was among hundreds of lawyers and activists rounded up in the so-called "709" crackdown which began on July 9, 2015. Mainland authorities announced in January 2019 that he was jailed for a four-and-a-half years for subverting state power before freeing him in April last year.

He said he was completely shut off from the world during that time.

"I've lost five years. I was out of touch. All of a sudden I am free, and I am bombarded with so much information. Some of my friends died during these five years, and I could not remember what I was doing at the time. I don't know how to process so much information," he told RTHK.

"So, I spend most of my time looking at my phone, to learn about what had happened in the past five years, to build a timeline, so that I could fill in the blank during the five years," he said.

His wife, Li Wenzu, had repeatedly been denied visits to her husband, but never stopped her campaign to demand his release.

But their reunion turned out to be more difficult than they had expected.

Wang said he had to learn to communicate with his son, Quanquan, who was just a toddler five years ago.

"When I was freed, my son did not accept me right away. At first, we had problems communicating. I was too blunt," Wang said.

"One time, he was playing with his classmate and they hit our cat. I stopped him, and he asked whether I loved the cat or him more. I said the cat was important, and he cried for an hour. I didn't realise until then that my casual remarks would hurt him deeply. I didn't know what to do.

"Some lawyers and activists detained in the 709 crackdown also had problems communicating with their families after their release. Some even physically abused their wife or children.

"It didn't happen to us, but the eight months of interaction with my son made me realise that I am too anxious and too blunt. I realised that if I do not change, we would become even more distant. So, I tried to be milder," he said.

Quanquan said he's glad his father can help protect his mother now.

"He's not as good as I had imagined. He can be very long-winded when he teaches me English. But I'm happy, because we can now protect mother together... But he should laugh more, and try to be more encouraging," said the boy.

Meanwhile, Wang said he would not give up human rights activism, and his wife said she would always support him.

"Quanzhang told me five years ago that I must be prepared that he could go missing for a long time. But I don't think anyone could really be prepared for their loved ones to be detained. It's impossible. We can't tell whether there will be more risks after he's back. But I'll always be supportive no matter what he decides to do," said Li.

"We cannot dwell on the pain all day. We persevered in the past five years, and learned that it's important to be hopeful. There's always hope, and we must try our best to live a good life."