Persecuted Chinese rights lawyer Wang Yu was one of the 21 women who have been recognized by the U.S. State Department's 2021 International Women of Courage Awards, but she failed to attend the virtual ceremony, causing many to speculate about her whereabouts.
The ceremony was held on Monday in Washington D.C. and virtually, during which seven Afghan women were honored posthumously for their service to their communities right before they were assassinated in Afghanistan in 2020, Voice Of America reported.
Among the other 2021 International Women of Courage Award honorees is Chinese rights lawyer Wang Yu, who according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken said "represented cases involving abused children, ethnic minorities, women, and religious adherents," work which "has brought government pressure on her through today."
According to Radio Free Asia, Sec. Blinken is concerned about the persecuted Chinese rights lawyer's whereabouts after she was absent from the ceremony that was set to honor her as one of the "Women of Courage," among others who demonstrated outstanding leadership in advocating for women empowerment, gender equality, and human rights.
"We have not been in regular communication over the past two days. We're concerned because we know that she wanted to attend today's ceremony," Sec. Blinken said of Wang. "We'll be following up and, if necessary, speaking out on her case."
Wang was last heard from through her tweet that expressed her excitement for the Women of Courage ceremony. An activist who is close to the Chinese rights lawyer said that the latter tweeted her plans to leave Guangzhou City in southern China, but encountered delays due to COVID-19 checks. The following day, Wang and her husband Bao Longjun were captured by the police in Tianjin and have not been heard from since.
According to Wang's profile in the State Department's list of International Women of Courage Award recipients, Wang is known as one of China's "most prominent human rights lawyers" who has taken on several "politically sensitive cases, representing activists, scholars, Falun Gong practitioners, farmers, and petitioners" in cases that involved human rights, women's and children's rights, freedom of expression, rights to freedom, and more.
The Chinese rights lawyer is currently under an exit ban and has been closely watched by Chinese authorities since she started actively taking abuse cases in 2011.
Wang is among 20 other women who are honored as a "Woman of Courage" by the U.S. State Department this year. Other awardees include Maria Kolesnikova from Belarus who rose up in behalf of the democratic movement following a disputed election, chess arbiter Shohreh Bayat from Iran who was accused of violating Islamic dress code, labor rights advocate Ana Rosario Contreras from Venezuela who advocates for health care professionals, and human rights activist Julienne Lusenge from Congo who strongly opposes gender-based violence.
First lady Jill Biden said during a speech at the "Women of Courage" awards ceremony, "These women made an extraordinary choice: to persist. To demand justice. To believe that, despite the obstacles and fear that they faced, that there is a future worth fighting for."
