Dear Chancellor Merz,

My name is Lyu Zhanqiu, a former software engineer and a self-taught legal advocate from China. I have dedicated my life to defending human rights. On February 17, 2023, I was illegally arrested, interrogated, searched, and detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) simply for questioning police misconduct, and was subsequently subjected to ongoing persecution.

Under the CCP's totalitarian system, the police, judiciary, and courts function as a single entity. Any attempt to seek legal remedy is futile and punished without exception, leaving me completely unprotected under the law. On July 16, 2023, I was forced to flee China to save my life, fully aware that any delay could have been fatal. I am writing to you urgently because my family's lives are at immediate risk.

Since then, I have been publicly exposing the CCP's human rights violations, its totalitarianism, and Xi Jinping's dictatorship online. As a result, I have been subjected to repeated cross-border threats, and my family has suffered violent attacks: my father's arm was broken, and my son's arm was bitten. I have been forced to flee across several Southeast Asian countries with my 12-year-old daughter to escape ongoing cross-border persecution.

Meanwhile, my family in China is in grave danger. My father, nearly 80 years old and almost blind, is under constant threat. My son, a university graduate and law-abiding citizen, has lost his job due to the CCP's reprisal for my human rights work. He is prohibited from leaving the country and suffers severe psychological pressure. The persecution of my family is ongoing and life-threatening.

Under Xi Jinping's dictatorship, the CCP has further intensified its totalitarian control, openly violating human rights and persecuting those who advocate for freedom and justice. The international community cannot ignore these abuses. Without intervention, the risk of continued injustice grows.

Germany has a proud legacy as a global defender of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and its moral leadership is urgently needed now. As you prepare to visit China, I urgently appeal to you to raise these humanitarian concerns directly with the CCP. I respectfully request that you demand the immediate release of my family members and ensure my son can travel freely. Their lives are at imminent risk, and inaction could result in tragedy.

Your intervention could save lives and reaffirm Germany's leadership in defending human rights worldwide. The world is watching, and I place my hope in Germany's moral courage, steadfast commitment to justice, and its unwavering defense of human dignity.

Sincerely,
Lyu Zhanqiu
Exiled Human Rights Defender from China
September 14, 2025