Ding Jiaxi

Ding Jiaxi (; born 17 August 1967) is a Chinese civil rights activist known for co-organizing the New Citizens' Movement advocating for political change in China and having been sentenced in 2022 to 12 years in prison for his advocacy.

Ding holds a Bachelor and Master's degree in Engineering from Beihang University, specializing in aircraft manufactuering. While doing post-graduate studies in Beihang University, he simultaneously studied law and passed the law exam. In 1996, he transitioned to a legal career and worked at multiple law firms until co-founding the Beijing Dehong Law Firm in 2003 as a Senior Partner. By 2013, his law firm employed over 20 lawyers and had an annual income of 25 million yuan.

During his legal career, he advocated for the rights of migrant workers' children to participate in the college entrance exam locally. In 2012, he wrote a public letter together with Xu Zhiyong and others, calling on Xi Jinping and other top-level government officials to lead the way in dislosing their financial assets, which gathered over 8,000 signatures.

In April 2013, Ding was arrested on charges of "illegal gathering". In April 2014, he was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for "gathering crowds to disrupt order in public places". He was released in 2016 after serving his sentence.

Ding was again detained in 2019, along with other human rights activists, after having a dinner together in Xiamen to discuss social issues. He was then sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2022 for subversion of state power. According to Ding's wife, evidence for charges against Ding and other detainees include "participating in a Telegram group chat, articles and online posts, and organizing classes in non-violent resistance." In 2024, Ding was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the chairs of Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Education and Career Ding Jiaxi holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Engineering from Beihang University, specializing in aircraft manufacturing and jet-engine engineering.

From 1990 to 1996, he worked as an engineer at the Shenyang Aviation Industry Corporation and the Beijing Aviation Industry Corporation, during which time he also studied law and passed the bar exam. In 1996, he transitioned to a full-time legal career, practicing at various law firms in Beijing. In 2003, he co-founded the Beijing Dehong Law Firm, serving as a senior partner, with expertise in areas such as corporate mergers and acquisitions, investment, bankruptcy law, and intellectual property protection. By 2013, his law firm employed over 20 lawyers and had an annual income of 25 million yuan.

Ding has served as a member of the Corporate Restructuring Professional Committee of the Beijing Lawyers Association, a member of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, Secretary-General of the Beihang Entrepreneurs Association, and Director of the Legal Committee of the Zhongguancun International Software Incubation Association.

Civil rights advocacy Ding had participated in the 1989 student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square but was not there when the military crushed the protest.

Beijing human rights lawyer Liu Weiguo speculated that the reason behind Ding's detention was his public letter on December 9, 2012, calling on public officials to lead the way in disclosing their assets, which gathered more than 7,000 signatures from citizens, as well as Ding's advocacy for equal education rights.

On May 21, 2013, public security authorities changed the charge against Ding to "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and submitted the case to the procuratorate. On November 4, 2013, the First Branch of the Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate returned the case to the Public Security Bureau for supplementary investigation, and the charge was altered to "gathering a crowd to disturb social order."

Trial (April 2014) Ding's trial proceedings began on 27 January 2014 in the Haidian District People’s Court in Beijing, together with other defendants who had undertaken the same New Citizen Movements' activities as Ding. The co-defendants were Li Wei, Zhang Baocheng, Yuan Dong, and Ding.

Several alleged procedural violations occurred during trial, including what one of Ding's lawyers, Wang Xing, described as the inability to review evidence in detail. Ding's other lawyer, Cheng Hai, refused to speak during trial as a form of protest and walked out the courtroom.

The same day Ding, Li, and Zhang announced the termination of their legal representations by their lawyers, forcing an abrupt end to their trial proceedings. Ding's lawyer, Wang, said that the move successfully obstructed the State's plan to end the trials before Chinese New Year—an attempt Wang said to diminish the public's concern for the trial. The sole defendant who did not terminate his legal representation, Yuan, was sentenced on 29, January, 2014, two days after court hearings began.

Second Arrest and Imprisonment (2019—Present) In a cross-provincial operation on December 26, 2019, Police arrested Ding in Beijing and placed him under incommunicado detention. The same operation also arrested other human rights activists, including Dai Zhenya in Xiamen, Fujian, Li Yingjun in Zhangzhou, Fujian, and Zhang Zhongshun in Yantai, Shandong, who had together participated in two days of meetings in Xiamen, involving some 20 lawyers and activists. According to those familiar with their meetings' agenda, topics discussed include the Hong Kong democracy protests, the U.S.-China trade war, and human rights

In 2024, Freedom House reported that Ding's communication with family members have been restricted to letters. Prison authorities told Ding's wife to "forget about it, Ding will never be allowed a phone call with you."

International response Before Ding's conviction, on 18 March 2022 ahead of the EU–China summit, NGOs including Human Rights Watch, World Uyghur Congress, and Front Line Defenders sent a joint letter to the Presidents of the European Commission and European Council, urging the EU and its member states to, among other things, publicly call for the release of detained human rights defenders in China, including Ding.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated in April 2023 that "I am very concerned that two prominent human rights defenders in China – Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong – have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, at variance with international human rights law standards."

Awards 2023 Global Human Rights Defender Award, Department of State While in prison, Ding was announced recipient of the Department of State's 2023 Global Human Rights Defender Award. His wife, Sophie Luo, received the award on his behalf.

2023 Human Rights Awards, Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) Ding, along with Xu and human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung, received the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) Human Rights Award 2023 for their "courage, determination and commitment to defending human rights and the rule of law in China". CCBE President Panagiotis Perakis stated that "European lawyers will continue to closely monitor the situation and support their Chinese colleagues who need help. We will never accept that lawyers are targeted because of their legitimate activities as lawyers." Nobel Peace Prize Nomination Ding was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 by chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Christopher Smith and Jeff Merkley, commending on Ding's "deep commitment to human rights and peace in China".