The five Chinese feminists are free!

These notes thanking Radical Women and other supporters for their aid were sent by the organization that campaigned for the five's release and from one of the imprisoned women, Wei Tingting.


Thank you very much for Radical Women's efforts in supporting this campaign... The five feminists have been released, yet their release is on bail, which means they might still face possible charges from the Government.

So we are now keeping our eyes on their cases and demanding the Chinese Government drops all the charges against them.

Do keep in touch for updates on the latest developments of the incident.

In solidarity,
Amy Yeung
Executive Secretary
Association for the Advancement of Feminism (AAF)

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Watching and Helping Each Other in Alliance,
After the Storm Comes a Rainbow

Thank-you letter from Wei Tingting (Waiting)
Originally posted on Facebook: Chinese feminists

I was asked to "have a chat" by police from the Chaoyang bureau branch on the afternoon of March 6. After being summoned around 5 pm, I was detained at the Haidian branch for 24 hours. At 8 pm on March 7, Li Tingting, Wang Man and I were sent to the Haidian Detention Center and detained there. I was surprised and astonished by the result. I would have never expected that our public interest advocacy against sexual harassment and for gender equality would be charged as "under suspicion of criminal offense".

In those 30 days, I was interrogated for more than 30 times, even 3 times a day at the worst. Even my cellmates were surprised: what crimes have you committed, that you were so intensely interrogated? In those 37 days, I also could not have expected what happened outside the detention centre and all the exhilarating support efforts. That I was able to get rid of the detention and see the daylight cannot be isolated from great supports both at home and abroad.

Thanks to my family. My younger sister just went into labor when I was detained. The entire family have been busy rushing around for me, and they were deeply concerned. My mother was crying the entire time, and she had not slept well during those thirty days.

Thanks to my colleagues. You deposited money and delivered supplies for me at the first possible moments. You have supported my mother's travel to Beijing, as well as sought out attorneys to defend me.

Thanks to my attorney Wang Qiushi. I recommended that you participate in the Feminism School half a year ago; now, half a year later, your defense saved me from imprisonment - our interactions constitute a real illustration of "She for He" and "He for She".

Thanks to my feminist peers and feminist forerunners. You could have just left or disregarded us, but you chose not to. You have conducted different forms of actions, with writing and speaking out, which single-handedly overturned such a dim situation. I have had so many thoughts and felt so much excitement while reading articles by Professor Wang Zheng, Professor Ai (Xiaoming) and other friends.

I want to thank feminists across the globe and their allies for their support. You have come together from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds as an unstoppable, powerful wave of international feminist activism. You have turned our performance art -- nipped in the bud -- into a larger international performance art. I have experienced first-hand now that "As a woman, I have no country." I honestly do not know when we would have been let out, had it not been for the support and vocalized solidarity from all of you over the world.

I want to thank my fellow warriors who work on LGBTQI issues, sexual rights and the law. There were over 100,000 signatures collected on All Out and ALMA has nominated me for their award. More and more people have participated in "Queer for Feminists." You have come to understand that there are no isolated issues in the world, and your actions have testified the importance and power of alliance and coalition.

I want to thank all my friends, university alumni and all those who care about and support me. Your care, support and kindness touches me and warms my heart.

With your support, I have affirmed my own conviction in gender equality. The small steps by each one of us will ultimately come together as a large step for the society. If possible, let us persist in our kindness and actions to make the world a better place. I hope I will have the opportunity to voice my gratitude in person to each one of you in the near future.

Wei Tingting (Waiting)
April 18, 2015


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March 21, 2015

Solidarity statement to campaign demanding release of Zheng Churan, Wang Man, Wu Rongrong, Li Tingting and Wei Tingting -- Beijing, China


Radical Women supports your call for the immediate and unconditional release of the five feminists arrested for planning performance art against sexual harassment on International Women's Day. Women have a fundamental right to use public transportation unmolested, and to speak-up for themselves. It is outrageous that any government treat publicizing women's issues as a crime.

As socialist feminists in the United States, we have seen that advocating for women's equality threatens those who control the economy, because their massive profits rely on women's unpaid labor in the home and underpaid labor in the workforce. Capitalist ideology relegates women to the status of sexual objects and disposable property. This is why there is such massive resistance by courageous feminists, like yourselves.

We salute all the feminist women and men who continue to organize across China for women's control over their own bodies and lives. You inspire us!

In solidarity,
Anne Slater
National Organizer, U.S. Section
Radical Women