Christian Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping, who represented persecuted religious believers and other victims of government repression before fleeing China, was released on bond July 24 after spending nine days in ICE custody despite having been granted asylum in the United States.
Wu was arrested July 15 after Pennsylvania law enforcement stopped him while he was delivering packages for Amazon, as previously reported by ChinaAid News. In coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Wu was taken into custody during what authorities described as a routine traffic stop.
His detention quickly prompted appeals from human rights advocates and members of Congress.
Wu was arrested July 15 after Pennsylvania law enforcement stopped him while he was delivering packages for Amazon.
On Sunday, Wu attended Chinese Bible Church of Lancaster and spoke with reporters after the worship service, according to Lancaster Online. He said he was still recovering from his detention at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, where he struggled to sleep in a large, noisy room shared with about 60 other detainees.
ChinaAid President Bob Fu and numerous advocates urged the U.S. government to release Wu in accordance with legal procedures and not deport him to China under any circumstances, warning that returning the longtime human rights lawyer would place him at grave risk.
Upon his release, Wu sent a brief message to Fu and other supporters, writing, “I am deeply grateful for everyone’s wholehearted help, which made it possible for me to regain my freedom.”
On Monday, Attorney Wu released a lengthy letter expressing his thanks to numerous human rights organizations and naming 229 advocates who spoke out on his behalf: “During my detention, care, solidarity and assistance poured in from all walks of life, bringing immense warmth and strength to my family and me during this difficult time. I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to all individuals, institutions and organizations that provided support and help.”
Last week, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, sent a letter urging Wu’s release. Fu also told the Philadelphia Inquirer Wu had expressed deep concern during detention about the possibility of being deported to China.
Wu’s release also has renewed attention on the path that transformed him from a commercial attorney in Shanghai into one of China’s growing ranks of human rights lawyers — and, ultimately, into an exiled Christian.
In 2015, while practicing commercial law in Shanghai, Wu witnessed China’s sweeping “709 Crackdown,” the largest campaign against human rights lawyers in decades. Hundreds of lawyers and legal advocates were detained, many received lengthy prison sentences, and others were forced into hiding or pressured to abandon their work.
Despite the crackdown, Wu chose to join China’s human rights legal movement, representing politically sensitive cases involving house church Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, democracy advocates and other victims of government persecution despite the increasing personal risks.
On July 9, 2022, human rights attorney Wu Shaoping was baptized, as Pastor Bob Fu (at left), and Scott Wood join him in prayer. (Photo: ChinaAid)
In 2019, after attending a gathering of human rights lawyers and advocates that became the target of government suppression, Wu was forced to flee China. He arrived in the United States in 2020 and formally applied for political asylum.
After settling in the United States, Wu and his family received support from several human rights organizations. During a ChinaAid family retreat in Midland, Texas, on July 9, 2022, Wu, his wife and daughter were baptized by Bob Fu and Dallas Christian counselor Scott Wood.
“He was so inspired by these persecuted Christians that he represented, and he felt a conviction to follow Christ,” Fu told a reporter last week.
Although released on bond, Wu remains in immigration proceedings and must report to an ICE field office in York, Pa., according to documents he showed a Lancaster Online reporter. He said he remains authorized to work in the United States and plans to continue making Amazon deliveries. “I am very confident in my case,” Wu told reporters.
His letter on Monday criticized the actions of ICE without naming the agency: “I also sincerely hope that in the future, the U.S. government can establish a more refined and effective identification and protection mechanism.”
He added in the concluding paragraphs: “I also hope that in a society governed by the rule of law, the law fulfills its intended role of certainty and predictability — guiding and regulating social life and governmental law enforcement behaviors, thereby avoiding the disruptions caused to society by campaign-style law enforcement. As someone who fled mainland China, I am deeply aware of the damage campaign-style law enforcement inflicts on the rule of law.”
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns. This article is republished by permission.