Lin Yingqiang
Lin Yingqiang is a petitioner and land rights defender in Fuzhou. Since 2004, he has initiated and participated in advocacy and public protests to support local farmers who have had their land appropriated by the authorities without adequate compensation.
In 2013, he initiated a weekly protest against forced land appropriation and forced demolition and mobilised many Fuzhou petitioners to protest in public squares and parks as well as in front of government buildings. He was imprisoned twice before on trumped-up charges and also subjected to two short-term administrative detention for his activism and participation in protests.
Chinese human rights defenders work across a wide spectrum of issues, engaging with rights violators on numerous levels. Many of China’s most prominent and most stringently prosecuted defenders have worked to protect the health and well-being of victims of physically harmful government and corporate practice, including forced abortion, food health scandals, environmental pollution, and corrupt or negligent government action leading to preventable loss of life.
