Zhang Baocheng
Zhang Baocheng is an active participant in the New Citizens Movement, a loose collection of individuals who campaigned for greater transparency among Chinese Communist Party officials, greater equality within the education system as well as for a Constitutional Government. In 2014 he was sentenced to two years in prison because of his participation in demonstrations related to that movement.
Human rights defenders in China work in an extremely hostile environment and under President Xi Jinping they have seen the space in which to operate further restricted. Chinese HRDs are active in many spheres, and they include lawyers, journalists, academics, transparency campaigners, housing and land rights activists, bloggers, writers, HIV/AIDS activists and those promoting the rights of ethnic minorities. Regardless of the issues they work on, HRDs who highlight abuses, challenge the authorities or network to support detained colleagues all face reprisals from the government. These range from almost daily harassment and intimidation of family members to detentions, disappearances, torture and imprisonment.
