CAO SHUNLI

 CAO SHUNLI

Cao Shunli (1962 – 14 March 2014) was a Chinese lawyer and human rights activist who lost her life in the struggle to build a more just society. As a result of this advocacy she was harassed, interrogated and detained on several occasions.

Cao was born in Beijing, but during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1971) she was forcibly deported along with her family to their ancestral home in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province as a result of her grandfather being a member of the "enemy classes" according to Communist Party of China doctrine of the time.

After attending Beijing College of Political Science and Law and a period of post-graduate study she was assigned to work at the research centre of the Ministry of Labor and Human Resources.

Cao’s human rights activism began in 2002 when she was fired from a government agency following her efforts to fight corruption in housing allocation. During the 2002 housing reforms, Cao reported corruption amongst her supervisors and lost her job. A lawyer by training, Cao used domestic laws and courts, as well as organizing and petitioning, to press for greater transparency of government information and citizen participation. Cao also directly submitted a report to the Human Rights Council prior to China’s Universal Periodic Review.

As a human rights activist Cao served at least two terms in prison camps as a result of her activities.

Her ordeal began in September 2013, when she tried to fly to Geneva to attend a training session on human rights held by the International Service for Human Rights. Cao never made the flight. She was arrested at Beijing Airport, and disappeared for several weeks until Beijing police confirmed she had been criminally detained. Cao was diagnosed with pneumonia in November 2013. Police denied her medical treatment despite repeated warnings from her lawyer that her health was deteriorating, until it was too late. In February 2014 she fell into a coma at which point she was transferred to a military hospital in Beijing. Doctors at the hospital expressed shock at her condition; it seemed she had simply been left to die in her cell. Cao died in hospital on 14 March 2014. No state agent has been punished for her death.

From 2008 until her enforced disappearance on September 14, 2013, Cao Shunli vigorously advocated for access to information, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.  Her activism reflected and fueled the growing rights awareness and desire for participation among Chinese citizens. In  addition to advancing human rights within China, Cao’s advocacy contributed to strengthening international human rights by bringing new voices and perspectives on their implementation to the international community.

The Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders, award in her name, was founded by Chinese human rights activists. The award ceremony goes every 14 March in memory of the activist. Human rights activists also said they will celebrate the every 14 March as "Human Rights Defenders Day" to mark the day Cao Shunli died.