14 - Yang Jianli v. China

Summary

At the time of his arrest in April 2002, Yang Jianli was a thirty-nine- year-old scholar and democracy activist, who was well known for his efforts to promote democracy in China. Born a Chinese citizen, Yang had resided in the United States since 1986. He holds doctoral degrees in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley and in political economy and government from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.¹ Yang was the founder and president of the Foundation for China 21st Century, through which he promoted the cause of democracy in China.