- Bao Zhuoxuan allowed to remain in the United States, two years after he landed in the country
- Bao’s mother, Wang Yu, was arrested in a sweeping crackdown on activists seven years ago
The son of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer has been granted asylum by a court in the United States, after surviving years of political persecution as a minor by association with his activist parents in China.
Friday’s ruling by an immigration judge in Los Angeles grants 22-year-old Bao Zhuoxuan the right to work, study and remain in the US without fear of repatriation – after two years of living without a passport, identification papers, driving permit or bank account.
“I’m the luckiest of them all because of my parents’ relentless negotiation for my freedom,” Bao, who has not seen his parents for four years, told the South China Morning Post the night before his hearing.
“The political persecution against rights lawyers and dissidents persists to this day, even years after the 709 crackdown, and their ordeals must continue to be heard by the world.”
Bao’s mother, Wang Yu, a leading human rights lawyer in China, was among the first people arrested in a nationwide crackdown seven years ago against a progressive rights defence movement led by lawyers like her. It came to be known as the “709 crackdown”, after the date of the first arrests – July 9, 2015.
The same day, Bao, then 15 and waiting at Beijing airport to board a flight to Australia, was also arrested – along with his father who was with him.
Bao and his parents, as well as many others lawyers held in that massive crackdown, have reported mental and physical abuse while in police custody.
“When he was just a child, the Chinese government persecuted Bao because of the work of his [parents],” Juliana Yee, one of Bao’s lawyers, said after the US ruling.
“We are glad that today, finally, the court has recognised the dangers Bao faced if he were returned to China, in granting his asylum application.”
