Lawyer Barred From Going To Beijing To See Ill Wife

Mainland human rights lawyers Wang Quanzhang says he has been stopped from going to Beijing to be with his wife who has been admitted to a hospital, after police and security officials in Jinan detained him.

Wang said he was stopped at the entrance of a highway and taken to a police station.

Detained in 2015 as part of a sweeping crackdown on hundreds of lawyers and rights activists, Wang was released earlier this month after serving a four-and-a-half year prison sentence.

But after that the authorities then took him to a property in his hometown of Jinan, Shandong province, saying he needs to undergo a 14-day quarantine due to the coronavirus situation. He has been there since.

Wang’s wife, rights activist Li Wenzu, was reportedly in a Beijing hospital after suddenly falling ill with appendicitis and reports said she may need surgery.

In an interview with RTHK, Wang said that he contacted his wife over the weekend and learnt that her condition was still not improving. He said that during his imprisonment, his wife fought for him, suffered hardships and punishment, and he hoped that he could take care of her now.

But the authorities asked him to wait and did not give any other explanation, he said.

The lawyer said he is feeling anxious, angry and exhausted. Wang said he will continue to negotiate with the authorities and try and return to Beijing quickly.

Activist lawyer Li Heping’s wife Wang Qiaoling had uploaded on social media clips and photos of Li Wenzu being taken to hospital. She said Li Wenzhu was at the Summer Palace when she came down suddenly with severe abdominal pain.