Merkel met wives of two jailed human right lawyers
Merkel showed concern over the situation to me, my husband and my child, and said she will continue to support and pay attention to us Li Wenzu, wife of detained Chinese human rights lawyer
beijing — German Chancellor Angela Merkel met the wives of two detained Chinese human rights lawyers during her trip to Beijing last week in a rare move for a visiting leader, the women said on Monday.
Heads of state or government often avoid making major public statements about human rights during their trips to China, or holding meetings with activists or relatives.
Merkel did not mention the meeting with the two women during her two-day visit on Thursday and Friday, though she said she brought up human rights during her talks with Premier Li Keqiang.
Li Wenzu, who last month had attempted to march 100 kilometres to a detention facility to highlight her husband’s plight before she was thwarted by police, said she Merkel on Thursday.
Li’s husband Wang Quanzhang is an attorney who represented political activists and disappeared in a 2015 police sweep. He has been charged with “subversion of state power”.
Li showed AFP a photo of her meeting with Merkel during which the chancellor rests her right hand on her shoulder as they smile at each other.
“I thanked Merkel for her attention and support to 709 lawyers,” Li said, referring to a group of attorneys rounded up in a crackdown on July 9, 2015. —