Zhang Chunxiao released a statement on the arrest of her husband Lu Siwei in Laos, denouncing it as unjust. Her statement calls on the government of Laos to release her husband and asks others for continued support in the effort.
"Lu Siwei's Chinese passport, as well as his Laos and U.S. visas, are all legal," she said. "It is illegal for the Chinese government to revoke his law license and prohibit him from leaving the country simply because he practiced China's lawyers' law and international human rights treaties to defend the group of 12 persecuted Hong Kong citizens. And it is legal, reasonable and sensible for him to flee from China to reunite with me and my daughter in the United States."
According to a release from the China Aid Association, a Chinese human rights lawyer named Lu Siwei was prevented from traveling home to the United States from Laos, on alleged grounds of travel violations. Many people and organizations have taken action against the arrest, and Siwei’s wife, Zhang Chunxiao, personally made a statement to the government of Laos, calling on them to release her husband.
In her statement, Zhang Chunxiao stated that, according to their own laws, referencing specifically the “Law on Extradition of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,” the Laotian government must consider various circumstances when extraditing someone, one of which is the threat of “torture or inhumane treatment” in which case the extradition should be refused. Zhang Chunxiao said this circumstance applies since evidence points to the CCP treating her husband in an inhumane manner.
Zhang Chunxiao also stressed the importance of the publicity of Lu Siwei’s trial. She said open reporting from other nations, and representation from lawyers, are of the utmost importance in the trial, ensuring there is no unjust pressure coming from the Laotian government. Zhang Chunxiao calls on Laos to act justly by freeing her husband, and urges outside organizations and government to continue aiding in the effort.
According to the release, the ChinaAid founder said that, in regards to the arrest, ChinaAid has confirmed Lu Siwei’s travel documents are entirely valid, and asserted his arrest was on account of his political efforts in China, where he had been supporting people in Hong Kong. ChinaAid emphasized their position on the matter and that Lu Siwei should be released and allowed to return home.
