Nankai University Associate Professor Receives "Lin Zhao Freedom Award" After Being Institutionalized for Supporting the White Paper Movement

File Photo: November 27, 2022, Beijing, China. Protesters march during demonstrations against China's strict zero-COVID policies, holding blank sheets of paper as a symbol against censorship. Following a deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang Province, protesters took to the streets in multiple cities across China, sparking nationwide protests, with many attributing the deaths to COVID-19 restrictions. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

People News - During the "White Paper Movement" that erupted in China two years ago following the Urumqi fire, Wu Yanan, an associate professor at Nankai University, criticized the authorities' crackdown on protesting students. In response, the university and local state security reportedly coerced Wu's family into sending him to a psychiatric hospital. The U.S.-based "China Aid Association" has awarded the 2024 "Lin Zhao Freedom Award" to Wu Yanan and called on the Chinese authorities to end the practice of using psychiatric institutionalization to suppress dissent.

According to Radio Free Asia, the "China Aid Association" announced on Monday (December 9) that the 2024 Lin Zhao Freedom Award would be given to Wu Yanan, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at Nankai University in Tianjin, to honor his courage and determination in openly criticizing the Chinese government's suppression of participants in the "White Paper Movement."

On November 24, 2022, the tragic "Urumqi fire" caused by strict lockdown measures under China's zero-COVID policy triggered the "White Paper Movement" across multiple universities in China. Protesters called for an end to the government's draconian pandemic restrictions, but student demonstrators faced ongoing harassment from university administrators and police crackdowns.

Wu Yanan Publicly Criticized University for Persecuting Students Involved in the "White Paper Movement"

In early December of the same year, Wu Yanan openly criticized the university for persecuting students who participated in the "White Paper Movement." She publicly called on the university to uphold basic human rights and protect students from political retaliation. She wrote at the time, "Isn't protecting students the duty of a university? Who gave you the right to suppress our voices for truth?"

Wu was soon summoned by the university for questioning. The administration forced her to delete her public statements online, but after she refused and argued her case, the university fabricated an excuse, claiming she needed a "nucleic acid test," and forcibly transferred her to Tianjin Sheng'an Hospital, a psychiatric institution. While at the hospital, Wu managed to evade her captors momentarily and hid in a restroom, where she shared the hospital's location on social media and called on students for urgent help. She described how individuals armed with ropes were attempting to restrain her and forcibly inject her with sedatives. A student later confirmed the incident to Radio Free Asia.

Wu Yanan’s last few public messages stated that she had been diagnosed with a mental illness, but the outside world widely believes these statements were made under duress. Since then, she has remained missing, and her social media accounts disappeared along with her.

The China Aid Association reported that Wu's family is suspected of being pressured by Chinese authorities and has been forced to comply with the government’s demands, making them afraid to disclose her current condition.

Wu Yanan's Case Highlights the Consequences of Openly Opposing CCP Policies

The China Aid Association remarked that Wu Yanan's case illustrates the growing use of "psychiatric detention" as a tool of political repression in China. It also sheds light on the severe consequences faced by individuals who openly oppose the CCP's policies.

Zubayra Shamseden, China Outreach Coordinator for the Uyghur Human Rights Project and a member of the Lin Zhao Freedom Award Selection Committee, stated: "In China, it takes enormous courage not only for a Chinese intellectual to openly oppose the government and support oppressed groups like the Uyghurs but also to stand up for their own rights within Chinese society. Wu Yanan, labeled as 'mentally ill,' represents the future of China. True peace and prosperity stem from mutual support among people, not from force or suppression."

Sophie Richardson, another member of the Lin Zhao Freedom Award Selection Committee and a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, added: "Professor Wu Yanan’s 'crime' was defending the freedom of speech for her students and other peaceful protesters. Her case is a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who dare to challenge the CCP’s authoritarianism."

Award Organizers Hope to Pressure CCP to Grant Wu Yanan Her Freedom

The founder and president of the China Aid Association, Bob Fu, told Radio Free Asia that Xu Zhiyong, Ding Jiaxi, Peng Lifa, and Wu Yanan were all finalists for this year’s Lin Zhao Freedom Award. The selection committee ultimately decided to award it to Wu Yanan because her actions exemplified the courage and spirit of Lin Zhao in the face of violence and authoritarianism. The organizers also hope the award will prompt the CCP to grant Wu Yanan her freedom.

Bob Fu stated: "As a female intellectual under the CCP's authoritarian and violent regime, Wu Yanan displayed immense courage in seeking the truth, fully aware of the persecution she would face. Her fearlessness mirrors the courage of Lin Zhao. Through this award, we aim to let Wu Yanan and her family know that the international community has not forgotten her. We will continue to work tirelessly for her complete freedom."

Nankai University Complicit in CCP’s Suppression of Free Speech and Intellectuals

Bob Fu criticized Nankai University for failing to protect its faculty and instead colluding with the CCP’s security forces to forcibly institutionalize Wu Yanan. Fu pointed out that Zhang Pengchun, one of Nankai’s founders, contributed to drafting the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the university even established a Human Rights Research Center. Yet, in Wu Yanan's case, the university compromised its principles by cooperating with authorities to silence her.

Fu remarked: "Nankai University not only failed to protect its professor but actively collaborated with the CCP’s security agencies, forcing her family to send her to a psychiatric hospital. This is a tragedy and a stain on the university’s legacy."

Zhou Fengsuo, Executive Director of Human Rights in China, who was the first to alert the public about Wu Yanan’s precarious situation two years ago, also spoke to Radio Free Asia. He described Wu as one of the most significant figures of the "White Paper Movement" and said her ordeal underscores the CCP’s ruthless suppression of protesters.

Zhou stated: "Wu Yanan’s case is one of the most severe examples of persecution faced by Han Chinese within China two years after the 'White Paper Movement.' The lack of updates on her situation is deeply concerning. We hope this influential award draws greater public attention and support for her plight."

Zhou also condemned Nankai University for becoming an accomplice in suppressing free speech and persecuting conscientious intellectuals.

"Chinese universities have become part of the CCP’s apparatus, many serving as voices for the regime. In Wu Yanan’s case, Nankai University played an active role in persecuting an independent-minded teacher by sending her to a psychiatric hospital. It has become a willing enforcer of repression."

As of the time of publication, Radio Free Asia had not received a response from Nankai University.

The Lin Zhao Freedom Award was established by the China Aid Association to commemorate Lin Zhao, a Chinese Christian who was executed for opposing the CCP. The association and the award’s selection committee have been unable to contact Wu Yanan’s family. Until she regains her freedom or her family can speak freely, the award and prize money will remain in the custody of the organizers.