Deep condolences to Lawyer Li Jinjin

June 4 student Movement leader and New York lawyer Li Jinjin died in an accident in his office in Flushing, New York, on March 14, local time.

Born in 1955, Li jinjin, 66, was active in promoting democracy in China. Li jinjin was a doctoral candidate in the law department of Peking University. He became involved in the pro-democracy movement in the mid-1980s.

In 1987, Dr. Li served as the chairman of PKU graduate Student Union, promoting the exchange between PKU graduate student union members and those from Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 1989, during the Civil movement, Dr. Li Jinjin founded the Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Federation, wrote its charter and served as an adviser. He also participated in the establishment of the Capital patriotic and Constitutional Society Consultation Joint Conference. Mr. Li was arrested for his role in organizing student protests during the Tiananmen Square Student Movement in 1989. After his release from prison, he continued to participate in civic activities.

In the 1990s, Mr. Li studied in the United States and worked as a lawyer in New York. At the same time, he took an active part in overseas democracy movements, participating in organizations such as “Free China Movement”, China Constitutional Society, China Judicial Watch and so on, and held important posts. Mr. Li is widely respected in the dissident community. In the 21st century, Li jinjin served as chairman of the Zhao Ziyang Foundation in memory of Hu Yaobang, chairman of the Supervision Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese Democratic Party, legal adviser of the think tank “Dialogue China”, and preparatory member of the “June 4th Memorial Hall Preparatory Committee”.

Several colleagues of Li Jinjin, a lawyer in China’s democracy movement, published obituaries. In the obituaries, they wrote that Dr. Li jinjin was deeply loved by his colleagues for his firm conviction, consistent enthusiasm, clear-cut love and hatred, and generosity for justice during the low ebb of China’s democracy movement. He is not only a comrade-in-arms whom we fully trust and rely on when planning and implementing the civil movement events, but also an indispensable friend in our life. His death is a great loss to the movement and one that we personally cannot bear.

Speculation about the cause of Mr. Li’s death may have been a dispute between lawyers and clients. But also spread another view, the suspect Zhang Xiaoning suspected mental illness. At present, Wang Juntao, chairman of the National Committee of the Democratic Party of China, is accompanying Li Jinjin’s family to deal with li Jinjin’s affairs. Boxun news network will continue to follow up the investigation of the murder of Lawyer Li Jinjin.