Dear Director Wang,

I am writing to express my grave concern for Li Qiaochu (李翘楚), who has been held incommunicado since being taken away by Beijing police on 16 February 2020. Li has reportedly been put under “Residential Surveillance in a designated location” (指定居所监视居住). However, no official information about her current situation has been communicated to her family or lawyer. It is distressing to learn that, throughout her detention, Li has had no access to a lawyer.

Most recently, on 21 April, Li’s lawyer went to Dongxiaokou Police Station to seek a meeting with her and try find out any information about her case. The request was denied, meaning that her lawyer still does not know anything about her whereabouts, wellbeing or even the charges against her. Without any access to Li Qiaochu, it is unclear whether she has prompt, regular, and unrestricted access to medical care. As she has suffered from depression since June 2019, I worry about her mental and physical wellbeing if she is not getting the appropriate care.

Li Qiaochu is a well-regarded researcher on labour rights and has been a peaceful advocate against gender-based violence for many years. As it seems that Li Qiaochu’s own peaceful activism and close association with other activists is the sole reason for her current detention.

I urge you to:

 Immediately and unconditionally release Li Qiaochu, unless there is sufficient credible and admissible evidence that she has committed an internationally ecognized offence and is granted a fair trial in line with international standards.

 Ensure that Li Qiaochu has regular, unrestricted access to family and lawyers of her choice and is not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.

 Allow her prompt, regular and unrestricted access to medical care on request, or as necessary.