Ni Yulan

Ni Yulan (倪玉兰, born 24 March 1960) is a civil rights lawyer in the People's Republic of China.

She has established herself in defending human rights in China by providing legal aid to persecuted groups such as Falun Gong practitioners and victims of forced eviction.

Ni has gone through multiple arrests, three prison sentences, and torture following her human rights cases against the Chinese government.

Her license to practice law was later revoked by Chinese authorities.

Ni entered Beijing Language and Culture University in 1978 and obtained a bachelor's degree in Chinese.

She went on to obtain a law degree from China University of Political Science and Law, and became a lawyer in 1986.

She then worked as a legal consultant at China International Trading Corporation while being simultaneously employed as an attorney at Justice Law Firm.

Ni is said to have been monitored by the Chinese government since 1999, when she provided legal assistance to a Falun Gong practitioner.

In 2001, when Ni's neighborhood in Beijing had been slated for mandatory demolition in order to accommodate the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, she helped her neighbors by either attempting to save their homes from being demolished or by demanding equitable compensation.

In April 2002, Ni was arrested by the police while filming the forced destruction of a neighbor's home.

She was then detained for 75 days.

Ni said that during her detention, she was kicked and beaten continuously for 15 hours, consequently leaving her maimed and since then in need of crutches to walk.

Ni was again arrested in September that year while petitioning the Beijing National People's Congress Standing Committee about her having been beaten in police custody.

Nonetheless, instead of receiving recompense, she was sentenced to a year in prison for "obstructing official business".

Additionally, her lawyer's license was revoked.

In November 2005, before then US president George W. Bush's visit to China, Chinese police warned Ni against leaving her home.

Two days later, when she was taking a walk in a park near her home, she was assaulted by unidentified men.

However, when she reported the attack to the police, she herself was taken into custody.

In August 2008, Ni was arrested when her own home was forcibly demolished, and was sentenced to two years in prison for “obstructing official business”, the same crime as her first conviction.

Her family members were not allowed to visit her during that period.

After being released, Ni said that she had been beaten harshly to the point that she could only crawl on the prison floor during her imprisonment.

Additionally, according to Ni, she was denied access to the toilet along with having a limited water supply because authorities said that it was punishment for her denial of guilt.

Ni was without a home upon her release.

Nevertheless, the police still made it difficult for her when she attempted to rent a hotel room or an apartment.

As a result, she and her husband camped in a tent at a park in central Beijing.

After drawing significant news media attention, authorities then moved the couple to a hotel room.

In 2011, the Dutch government awarded Ni the Human Rights Tulip, and in 2016, the United States Department of State gave her the International Women of Courage Award.

On 7 April 2011, Ni and her husband were detained by police as part of a nationwide crackdown on dissent.

Ni described multiple instances of abuse during her detention, including once when an officer urinated on her face, and another taking her crutches away and forcing her to crawl from her cell to the prison workshop.

In Beijing on 29 December 2011, Chinese authorities put Ni Yulan on trial for alleged fraud.

Owing to mistreatment during Ni's detention, she was in poor health upon her appearance in court and was propped up on a makeshift bed with an oxygen mask tied to her face.

Ni's trial drew many spectators outside the courthouse, as they were denied entry and were surrounded by more than a hundred police officers.

According to Radio Free Asia, aside from spectators facing obstacles, a number of Ni's witnesses were also confined to their homes by Chinese police prior to Ni's trial, making them unable to testify for Ni.

In April 2012, Ni was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for “causing a disturbance” and "fraud".

Her husband, Dong Jiqin, was similarly sentenced to two years for "causing a disturbance".

However, rights activists argue that the charges were fabricated in order to stifle dissent.

Ni completed her third sentence on 5 October 2013.

According to Ni, her illness had not been treated during her detention, and she was, as a result, in poor health upon release.

Following Ni Yulan's release in 2013, she and her family have continued to face a series of human rights violations, which include being defrauded, monitored, followed, forcibly evicted from their homes without prior warning, and having her passport arbitrarily denied by Chinese government authorities.

In 2016, Ni was prevented by Chinese authorities from leaving China to attend The US Award Ceremony, where she would have received the International Women of Courage Award.