Rights group urges China to release 'Bridge Man' Peng Lifa on second anniversary of disappearance

New York [US], October 13, : Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded the immediate release of Peng Lifa, the man who unfurled banners critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his stringent "Zero-Covid" policy on Beijing's Sitong Bridge two years ago.
While the authorities have not disclosed the protester's identity, many believe his name is Peng Zaizhou, whose age is 50 years. Unverified reports suggest that some of his family members may have been placed under house arrest.
Maya Wang, HRW's associate director for China, stated, "The Chinese government may have taken away the 'Bridge Man,' but his arrest ignited widespread support for a free and democratic China. Two years since Peng Lifa was taken into police custody and forcibly disappeared, his message continues to resonate."
On October 13, 2022, Peng, dressed in a construction outfit, unfurled two banners on Sitong Bridge in the Haidian district of Beijing.
One banner read, "We want food, not Covid testing; we want freedom, not lockdowns; we want dignity, not lies; we want reform, not the Cultural Revolution; we want to vote, not a leader; we are citizens, not slaves."
The second banner said, "Go on strike, depose the traitorous dictator Xi Jinping." Police swiftly apprehended him and has not been seen since.
According to HRW, under international human rights law, enforced disappearance occurs when authorities fail to acknowledge the arrest or detention of an individual, providing no information about their fate or whereabouts, thereby removing them from legal protection.
HRW noted that Peng's protest was a rare act of defiance in a country where authorities closely monitor public spaces and dissent, especially ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's 20th National Congress at that time. Although news of the protest was quickly censored, Peng's messages spread widely.
The rights group highlighted that in late November 2022, thousands of people in 31 cities across China protested against the Zero-Covid measures. This unprecedented wave of protests was triggered by a deadly apartment fire in Urumqi on November 24, 2022, during which residents were trapped due to lockdown restrictions. Protesters held blank sheets of paper--known as the "white paper" protests--and echoed slogans similar to those of Peng.
Furthermore, on July 30, 2024, 22-year-old activist Fang Yirong, inspired by Peng, displayed a similar banner on a bridge in Loudi City, Hunan province, stating his hope for an end to autocracy in China. Fang was arrested in early August, and his current condition remains unknown.
Maya Wang emphasised the importance of international pressure, saying, "Concerned governments should use the anniversary of Peng Lifa's disappearance to raise his case and urge the Chinese government for his immediate and unconditional release."