China

Poets, Peaceniks and Protesters: Meet China’s Leading Dissidents

As Xi Jinping, the man widely touted to be China's next President, embarks on a trip to the U.S., Beijing's desire for political stability remains paramount. The past year has seen numerous crackdowns on dissent and arrests of Chinese activists. Last week, Zhu Yufu, a poet, was sentenced to seven years for "inciting subversion to state power." Meet Zhu and some of the other artists, activists and lawyers caught up in China's latest crackdown.

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Hu Jia / Zeng Jinyan

By Feb. 10, 2012
Fredric J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Chinese human rights activists Hu Jia, right, and his wife Zeng Jinyan in their apartment on the outskirts of Beijing, Jan. 9, 2007.

Occupation: Rights activist
Status: Free

Hu Jia and  Zeng Jinyan have campaigned for environmental protection and fought to protect people living with HIV/AIDS. Hu spent three-and-a-half years behind bars for “inciting subversion of state power” ahead of the 2008 Olympics. He was released from prison last year, but neither his campaigns, nor the government pressure, has abated. Last month, Beijing police raided the couple’s home, confiscating two laptops.

—by Joe Jackson

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