A Conscience of Tibet
Li Jiaming, aka Li Ang, is a human rights defender, a conscience of Tibet, and a staunch ally of democratic countries such as India, New Zealand, the United States, Europe, South Korea, Japan, and Australia. He is also a practitioner of the concept of “equality, freedom, and the rule of law.” Unfortunately, Mr. Li’s life has been marked by immense suffering. He has endured atrocities, false and wrongful accusations, defamation, and smear campaigns orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In the past 20 years, no matter how dire the conditions, he has never given up his faith in seeking justice. Even when he was prohibited from leaving the country, imprisoned, and tortured, or when faced with death threats, severe oppression, and harassment from Communist authorities and their proxies, Mr. Li persistently exposed the wrongdoings of the Chinese government and its genocidal policies in Tibet. His unwavering fight for justice continues to be a testament to the just cause of humanity.
The Tibetan Uprising of 2008-2009
In 2008 and 2009, the Tibetan Uprising was a series of protests and demonstrations against the Chinese government’s mistreatment and persecution of Tibetans. These protests began in Lhasa and soon spread across the Tibetan plateau, including areas outside the designated Tibet Autonomous Region. The Chinese Communist regime’s top leaders were enraged by the Tibet Military Region’s failure to rapidly control the situation.
Mr. Li and others were suspected of supporting, sympathising with, and protecting persecuted Tibetan monks and compatriots. Among them was a pioneer of the Tibetan independence movement who escaped from Lhasa custody to seek political asylum in India. This pivotal event completely changed Mr. Li’s life trajectory. The Chinese authorities perceived the situation in Tibet as spiralling toward total loss of control, a scenario they feared the most.
The CCP’s obsession with control is evident in every facet of life in Tibet. Communist Party branches exist in every military company, community, and grassroots unit. Streets in Lhasa are dotted with sentries every few yards. The CCP actively recruits local militia and informants, spreading false information and provoking civilian conflict. Ethnic groups, factions, and religions in Tibet are forcibly “brainwashed” to unify their thoughts and actions under the CCP’s United Front Work. At its core, this is about controlling the people and exploiting Tibet’s resources, which is why Tibet has been consistently ranked as one of the least free nations in the world.
Persecution and Torture
The protests in 2008 and 2009, which condemned excessive force, over-policing, and attacks on civilians, rattled China’s top leadership. The CCP’s “Red Terror” policy—“Catch a batch, imprison a batch, kill a batch”—led to Mr. Li’s arrest and torture by a special police task force.
Mr. Li suffered extensive abuse, including insults, maltreatment, beatings, hunger, sleep deprivation, and being shackled with iron chains (dog chains – hands and feet shackled together by iron chains) for extended periods. This caused him lumbar disc herniation, a condition he endures to this day. The torture aimed to coerce him into implicating other Tibetan and Han individuals involved in the uprising against the Communist dictatorship.
Despite the severe torture, Mr. Li refused to incriminate others. However, top CCP officials,, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Meng Jianzhu, Minister of Public Security, intervened directly in Mr. Li’s case. They instructed the judiciary to frame him at all costs. A “black hat”—a Tibetan term for framing someone—was placed on him, and he was publicly humiliated as a “killer.” This political retaliation plunged Mr. Li into the depths of despair, effectively rendering him a scapegoat and a victim of permanent social death.
Outrage Against Injustice
The persecution of Mr. Li provoked widespread indignation. Many people were shocked and angered by the injustice and defamation directed at a man they admired as a hero of conscience. Legal experts and professors wrote letters to the Chinese authorities expressing their outrage.
At a symposium of law experts at the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court, the President of the China Criminal Law Research Institute and the Dean of the Law School at Beijing Normal University bravely criticised the judicial system. He remarked, “In Mr. Li’s case, the Chinese police have not been held accountable for the torture and forgery of evidence yet. Now that there is no evidence against him—even cameras, mobile phone location, fibre materials, DNA, and all physical evidence prove Mr. Li’s innocence—how can you still want to incriminate him? Do we have ‘law’ in China?! We do not want to see a judge take the blame for a political case!”
A Rigged Judicial System
The lack of judicial independence in China compounds the tragedy. Judges are required to follow orders from superior leadership, rendering them tools of political manipulation. Despite overwhelming evidence of Mr. Li’s innocence, he was still imprisoned.
Even after his release, the CCP sought to suppress the truth about Mr. Li’s case and its broader state crimes in Tibet, including ethnic cleansing. The CCP’s propaganda machinery disseminated falsehoods and defamation against him, warning him and his family of severe consequences should they expose the truth. Labelled as an “enemy of the state,” a “security risk,” and a “dangerous anti-communist,” Mr. Li was subjected to discriminatory restrictions and targeted harassment. The hostile environment was deliberately engineered to push him to the brink, making it easier to imprison and torture him again.
Exile and Continued Struggle
Today, Mr. Li has escaped the “red hell” of China and lives overseas. However, the CCP’s transnational repression, harassment, and death threats continue to follow him. The CCP and its proxies have launched coordinated smear campaigns, fabricating slanderous articles and videos to defame him and his family.
Despite facing immense challenges, Mr. Li remains optimistic. He says, “Ugly attacks won’t change a bit of beautiful soul. Perseverance and integrity have done wonders in all ages. I believe only love and truth will have the final word.”
A True Hero
Mr. Li’s story is one of extraordinary courage and resilience. He stands tall for justice and a hero of resistance. His unwavering persistence and faith give hope to many of us who are fighting against injustices.
Please pay attention to his Twitter account: x.com/Leo_Lee_Fighter
Photos:
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) issued non-criminal record police clearance certificates for Mr. Li.
- In 2008, Mr. Li and his friend of the independence movement in Tibet.
Written by: Davit Ding
