Defending Religious Believers in China
Friday, March 13, 2026
2:00 - 3:30 pm (Eastern)
Furman Hall 334
Register:
In-person only, in Chinese with English translation.
本活动仅限现场出席，全程以中文进行，并提供英文翻译。
About the event:
Religious communities in China are under intense pressure, from administrative restrictions and church closures to criminal prosecutions of pastors and believers. Xiao Yunyang, a human rights lawyer from Guizhou, China, will provide an overview of government policies and regulations toward unregistered religious groups over time, from the relatively more relaxed Hu-Wen era in the early 2000s to the zero-tolerance approach of Xi Jinping. Drawing on over two decades of firsthand experience representing religious practitioners in administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings, he will discuss how authorities often frame religious cases as ordinary criminal offenses, what defense strategies are available, and what lawyers and communities can realistically do within China's current legal framework.
近年中国宗教群体正面临严峻压力，从行政管制、教会关闭，到对牧师与信徒的刑事追诉。贵州人权律师萧云阳将梳理中国政府针对未登记宗教团体的政策演变，从胡温时期相对宽松的管理方式，到习近平执政以来的零容忍立场。萧律师从事宗教案件辩护逾二十年，亲身代理过行政、民事与刑事各类程序。他将结合实务经验，分析当局如何将宗教活动定性为普通刑事案件，探讨可行的辩护策略，以及律师与信仰群体在现行法律框架下的实际行动空间。
About the speaker:
Xiao Yunyang is the co-founder and managing partner of Guizhou Yutai Law Firm and a human rights lawyer. He holds a Master of Laws degree from Guizhou University and has been licensed to practice since 2004. A Christian himself, Mr. Xiao frequently represents rights defenders, political dissidents, and religious practitioners including Falun Gong practitioners. He has defended Jehovah’s Witnesses in Korla, Xinjiang; members of the Living Stone Church in Guizhou; journalist Huang Xueqin and labor activist Wang Jianbing (accused of inciting subversion of state power); and civic activist Xu Zhiyong (accused of subversion of state power).
萧云阳，中国大陆人权律师，现任贵州宇泰律师所主任，毕业于贵州大学，获法律硕士学位，基督徒。自2004年执业以来，长期为维权人士、宗教信仰者及异见人士提供法律辩护，代理案件涵盖法轮功学员及各类教案，主要代理案件包括：新疆库尔勒耶和华见证人案、贵州活石教会苏天富及张秀红教案、黄雪琴及王建兵煽动颠覆国家政权案，以及许志永颠覆国家政权案。