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 10th 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