Imagine being dragged out of your house by unknown men having to find somewhere to sleep on the street. Now imagine this happening time and time again.
This is reality for Ni Yulan, a housing rights activist in China. An ex-lawyer, Ni Yulan and her family watched the demolition of their home shortly before the Beijing Olympic Games. She wasn’t going to let it happen quietly. She resisted - educating neighbours about their rights and advocating on behalf of other displaced residents. Her activism didn’t go unnoticed by the Chinese authorities - soon she was arrested and jailed simply for defending housing rights.
Despite winning international awards for her courageous work, Ni Yulan has faced nearly 20 years of harassment, evictions, and surveillance.
The police once tortured her so brutally, she was left with broken feet, smashed kneecaps and confined to a wheelchair for life.
