Li Heping (李和平) is a Chinese human-rights lawyer who was detained in the July 2015 ‘709’ crackdown and later convicted. His case became a prominent example of the pressure placed on rights-defense lawyers, including detention, allegations of ill-treatment and later professional restrictions.
709 case
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented Li’s detention during the 709 crackdown. Later reporting documented his conviction, release and restrictions affecting his ability to practice law. Free China keeps the detention, judgment, release and law-license consequences as separate events.
Current status
Li is released and is not currently recorded as serving a prison sentence. ChinaAid reported that Beijing police detained him for more than 15 hours on July 11–12, 2025, after an alleged obstruction-of-law-enforcement incident and that he was released home on the evening of July 12. This is recorded as a dated temporary police-control event, not as current imprisonment. The exact extent of his present-day employment, travel, passport and professional restrictions remains under current verification; older restrictions are not automatically projected into 2026 without fresh evidence.
Related records
Rights-Defense Lawyers & Legal Advocates in China · 709 Crackdown Index
Selected sources
- Amnesty International — 2015 crackdown list
- Human Rights Watch — 709 anniversary legal crackdown
- ChinaAid — July 2025 temporary detention and release
Status last verified: September 11, 2026.