US-Based Human Rights Defender Xiang Li’s Relatives in China Pressured by Authorities to Cut Ties with Her

（Rights Defense Network Information Center report）On June 11, 2026， this outlet learned：Recently， US-based human rights defender Xiang Li issued a public statement， accusing the Chinese Communist authorities of tracking、 harassing、 intimidating her relatives in China， freezing their bank accounts， and coercing them into publicly declaring that they were cutting off their family relationship with Xiang Li。

Xiang Li’s statement follows：

Because I have expressed my views overseas and participated in activities protesting the Chinese Communist Party， my relatives in China have been repeatedly harassed and intimidated by Hubei State Security、 Beijing State Security。Recently， Hubei State Security even froze their bank accounts， and coerced them into publicly declaring that they were cutting off their family relationship with me。This has developed into the evil practice of implicating relatives！

I hereby solemnly declare：Any measures taken against my relatives in China because I have expressed my views overseas or participated in public affairs， including but not limited to freezing bank accounts、 requiring them to publicly declare that they are cutting off their family relationship with me、 or tracking、 harassing、 or intimidating them in any way， constitute an infringement of the rights of unrelated third parties。

Family relationships fall within the scope of personal rights， and should not be implicated because of another person’s speech or position。 Imposing restrictions on individuals who bear no direct legal responsibility constitutes a serious infringement of their basic lawful rights and interests， including property rights and personal rights。

I hereby formally demand that Hubei State Security and Beijing State Security：

1、Immediately apologize to my relatives， and cease all forms of tracking、 harassment、 intimidation and pressure against them；

2、Lift the unreasonable restrictions on their bank accounts in accordance with the law；

3、Respect citizens’ lawful property rights and other basic rights；

4、Do not take any measures against my relatives to implicate them because of my speech or political position。

I reserve the right to safeguard my lawful rights and interests through legal channels and international human rights mechanisms。

About Xiang Li：

Xiang Li， a native of Qianjiang， Hubei， graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2000。 She previously worked as a university teacher and independent curator。 She later became a human rights defender， actively participating in and witnessing a series of human rights incidents in China。 After the “709” incident in 2015， Xiang Li was subjected to exit controls by the Chinese Communist authorities。 In 2017 she fled to Thailand， where she was detained in a Thai immigration detention center for seven months。 In 2018 she went to the United States through humanitarian assistance。 She currently lives in the United States， where she works on human rights-related matters。