Li Heping (李和平）

Work Location

Beijing

Date of Birth

1971

Current Status

Suspension of sentence, Deprivation of political rights

Introduction

Li Heping is a Beijing human rights lawyer and the partner of Beijing Gaobo Longhua Law Firm. He is also the legal consultant for UN European Financial Investment Bureau and the project coordinator of UN Industrial Development Organization. Li is a Christian and he opposes the government’s intervention on religion and belief. Thus, Li always represents dissidents, victims of forced eviction, Falun Gong practitioners and other vulnerable groups. In 2007, together with other 5 lawyers, Li made a renowned defense statement “The Supremacy of Constitution, and Freedom of Religion” on a Falun Gong case.

In 2008, Li was an honouree for the National Endowment for Democracy's Democracy Award for Religious Freedom and met with President Bush in the White House. He was also granted the European Human Rights Prize and the Human Rights Award by the The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe. Yet, Li was barred from attending the prize ceremony by the authority.

In 2015, Li was detained in the 709 Crackdown for allegedly crime of "inciting subversion of state power", and after more than a year of detention he was indicted for "subversion of state power" in 2017. Tianjin Second Intermediate People's Court on April 25, 2017 held a secret hearing on Li's case. The court found Li guilty and sentenced him to three years imprisonment but suspended for four years and deprivation of political rights for four years. Li Heping said not to appeal in the court.

Specializations

Falun Gong cases, criminal defenses

Cases Handled

After 2007 – (a) Relaunch of the death penalty case in Leping, Jiangxi for miscarriage of justice, (b) Nie Shubin case of death penalty (executed in 1995), Nie was declared innocent by the People’s Supreme Court on 2 December 2016. (c) anti-torture projects.

2007    Case of Falung-gong practitioner, Wang Bo case

2006    Zhejiang Environmental NGO “Green Watch” initiator Tan Kai case

2005    Sheng chi Law firm Administrative Penalty hearing and defense

2005    Zhejiang Dongyang Huashui village “April 10^th incident”

2005    Northern Shanxi Oilfield case

2005    Taishi village case

2005    Shandong Linyi family planning case

2004    “Three class of servants” Sectarian leader Xu Shuangfu case

2001    Yang Zili case