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In Pictures
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In pictures: China's dissidents
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Hu Jia (Released), pictured right, a well-known activist for AIDS patients and orphans, was released by Chinese authorities on June 26, 2011, after more than three years in prison [Getty/Gallo] Zeng Jinyan (Released), the wife of Hu Jia, has been placed under house arrest several times for her blog, activism, and documentaries [Reuters] Chen Guancheng (House arrest), pictured on Hu Jia's t-shirt. The blind civil rights activist was released from prison in September 2010, but remains under house arrest. Chen and his wife were allegedly beaten after human rights groups released vides of their home under police surveillance in February [Reuters] Ai Weiwei (Released), a renowned artist, was freed on bail last week after confessing to tax evasion. His detention prompted an international outcry among artists, politicians and human rights activists, while Western leaders called it a sign of China's deteriorating human rights situation [Reuters] Liu Xiaobo (Detained), the first Chinese Nobel Peace prize winner, has been in and out of prison for the past 22 years. His most recent arrest, in December 2008, for "subverting state power" came a day before a pro-democracy manifesto he assisted in authoring circulated on the internet [Gallo/Getty] Liao Yiwu (Released) was detained in 1990 for four years for his poem "Massacre" about Tiananmen Square. Yiwu is currently banned from travelling for national security reasons. In April 2011 after being prohibited from attending a book tour for Harpers Collins Yiwu wrote, "Over the last 10 or so years I have strived to get the right to travel abroad 16 times. I succeeded once and failed 15 times." [Gallo/Getty] Yang Jianli (Released), a Tiananmen Square activist, returned to the US in 2007 after he was accused of spying for Taiwan and was detained for five years. [Gallo/Getty] Shin Tao (Detained), a Chinese journalist and dissident, whose mother, Qin Sheng, is pictured. Shin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for releasing a document to an overseas Chinese democracy site, in 2005.[Gallo/Getty] Gao Zhisheng (Missing), a human rights attorney and dissident, is known for defending activists and religion minorities and documenting alleged human rights abuses. Zhisheng was seized by police officers in February 2009 and has been missing since April 2010 [Gallo/Getty]
In recent months, hundreds of lawyers, activists and other intellectuals have been questioned, detained, confined to their homes or have disappeared in the wake of online appeals calling for peaceful protests across the country similar to those seen in the Arab world.
Although no protests took place, the calls worried the Chinese government enough to prompt them to launch the clampdown.
Human Rights Watch, the US-based rights watchdog, reports that since mid-February, the Chinese government has detained dozens of activists. According to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), a network of domestic and overseas Chinese human rights activists and groups, the number of individuals who were detained was 49.
The release of the Chinese activist Hu Jia comes just days after the release of artist and activist Ai Weiwei on June 22.
Al Jazeera illustrates a selection of prominent dissidents who have been, or are currently, imprisoned in China.
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In pictures: China's dissidents
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Hu Jia (Released), pictured right, a well-known activist for AIDS patients and orphans, was released by Chinese authorities on June 26, 2011, after more than three years in prison [Getty/Gallo] ;*;Zeng Jinyan (Released), the wife of Hu Jia, has been placed under house arrest several times for her blog, activism, and documentaries [Reuters];*;Chen Guancheng (House arrest), pictured on Hu Jia(***)s t-shirt. The blind civil rights activist was released from prison in September 2010, but remains under house arrest. Chen and his wife were allegedly beaten after human rights groups released vides of their home under police surveillance in February [Reuters];*;Ai Weiwei (Released), a renowned artist, was freed on bail last week after confessing to tax evasion. His detention prompted an international outcry among artists, politicians and human rights activists, while Western leaders called it a sign of China(***)s deteriorating human rights situation [Reuters];*;Liu Xiaobo (Detained), the first Chinese Nobel Peace prize winner, has been in and out of prison for the past 22 years. His most recent arrest, in December 2008, for "subverting state power" came a day before a pro-democracy manifesto he assisted in authoring circulated on the internet [Gallo/Getty];*;Liao Yiwu (Released) was detained in 1990 for four years for his poem "Massacre" about Tiananmen Square. Yiwu is currently banned from travelling for national security reasons. In April 2011 after being prohibited from attending a book tour for Harpers Collins Yiwu wrote, "Over the last 10 or so years I have strived to get the right to travel abroad 16 times. I succeeded once and failed 15 times." [Gallo/Getty];*;Yang Jianli (Released), a Tiananmen Square activist, returned to the US in 2007 after he was accused of spying for Taiwan and was detained for five years. [Gallo/Getty];*;Shin Tao (Detained), a Chinese journalist and dissident, whose mother, Qin Sheng, is pictured. Shin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for releasing a document to an overseas Chinese democracy site, in 2005.[Gallo/Getty];*;Gao Zhisheng (Missing), a human rights attorney and dissident, is known for defending activists and religion minorities and documenting alleged human rights abuses. Zhisheng was seized by police officers in February 2009 and has been missing since April 2010 [Gallo/Getty]
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