Lee Ching-yu, who has led a public campaign for husband Lee Ming-che’s release, will be a guest of a US congressman investigating Chinese human rights abuses
The wife of Taiwanese human rights activist Lee Ming-che, who is imprisoned in China, will attend US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address as the guest of a congressman tasked with investigating Chinese human rights abuses.
Chinese authorities arrested democracy activist Lee in March 2017 in the Chinese territory of Macau. He was put under investigation for “pursuing activities harmful to national security.”
That September, he was sentenced to five years in prison for “subverting state power,” based on what his family and supporters say was a forced confession.
His wife, Lee Ching-yu, has led a public campaign for his release, raising the ire of the Chinese authorities. On Tuesday night, she will sit in the House gallery during Trump’s speech as a guest of Republican Representative Christopher Smith, who serves as the co-chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
She said in an interview that she wants to send the message that human rights are universal and the Chinese Communist Party is exporting repression.
