Li Bifeng
China: Dissident poet jailed for 12 years
Li Bifeng's 12-year jail term 'revenge' for helping dissident Liao Yiwu flee
Li Bifeng is a human rights defender and poet who was jailed for five years following his involvement in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. In November 2012, he was sentenced to a futher 12 years in prison on a charge of 'contract fraud', though it is believed his jailing is related to assistance he provided to fellow writer and human rights defender, Liao Yiwu, to flee China in 2011.
Chinese HRDs face intimidation, harassment, house arrest, abductions, torture and imprisonment. They also work under very restrictive legislation, including laws which criminalize all unauthorized demonstrations and require government sponsorship for NGO registration, which is refused to any organisation touching on human rights issues. Widescale investigations into NGOs with links to overseas organisations took place in 2014 and 2015 resulting in harassment, detentions and forced closures.
