Beijing, Feb 8 UN human rights experts have criticised China for their repeated refusal to Chinese human rights defender, Yang Li, for accessing medical treatment. The experts urged Chinese authorities to stop the harassment and intimidation of Li and her family and allow her to access medical treatment, a report has stated.
In the statement, the experts stated, "The arrest and indictment of Yang Li appear to represent an effort by the authorities to prevent her from peacefully exercising her rights to seek redress for legitimate grievances. This harassment is compounded by the fact that it was coupled with preventing her from accessing medical treatment," Jurist News reported.
Li is a human rights defender from China's Jintan, who has long supported housing and land rights. She has been vocal about issues like illegal land expropriation, forced eviction and demolition, raising awareness of issues such as the displacement of the local residents and lack of compensation for those impacted.
On January 18, police detained Li while she was travelling to Beijing for urgent medical care. Immediately after leaving the home, Li and her father were forcibly taken by forcibly taken to the Jintan Law Enforcement Case Management Centre by police officers who were wearing plain clothes, as per the report. The latest arrest occurred approximately five days after her previous release from detention, having been held from January 11 to 13.
Since being detained in 2025, Yang Li has not been allowed to access medical treatment. In August last year, she was diagnosed with a severe health condition which required her to undergo specialised treatment. However, her request for hospital care has been denied by detention center authorities. Her movement has been restricted even after her release on December 30 and she was not taken to the hospital, Jurist News reported.
Front Line Defenders (FLD), an international human rights organisation protecting human rights defenders at risk, stated that Li has been targeted for her human rights work and stressed that refusing medical care to Li seems to be part of a “pattern of retaliation” against her for exposing abuses related to land rights.
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