Li Jianqiang, whose pen name is Liu Lu, is a human rights lawyer, writer and member of Independent Chinese PEN Center. He has represented many dissidents and activists, including 10 of the 45 writers on PEN’s caselist.
In July 2003, Li was disbarred for two years for initiating a petition to abolish the offense of “inciting subversion of State power” from China’s Criminal Law. After he regained his license in 2005, he resumed his defense of dissidents, and in June 2007, his application to extend his license to practice law was denied. At great personal risk, he traveled to New York this April to accept the 2008 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write award on behalf of Yang Tongyan. Li has published two volumes of writings which include memos of his cases, commentaries, essays, poems and short stories.
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