Barefoot Lawyer Reports

In Part 2, Chen Guangcheng continues his examination of the events leading to the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the CCP's efforts to control the narrative, and the lasting impact June 4th had on the Chinese people and their confidence in reform.

In this three-part series, Guangcheng explains the history of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. He breaks down the perfect storm of events that began with the death of Party Leader Hu Yaobang and ended in one of the bloodiest massacres in modern history.

In this episode of the Barefoot Lawyer Reports, Chen Guangcheng reveals how, despite the Tiananmen Square Massacre occurring 37 years ago, the CCP is still terrified of people remembering and talking about it. Even though many of the code words that once evaded the censorship machine have been discovered, more and more young people are "climbing the firewall" to learn the truth and share...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng examines the growing number of cases involving CCP agents conducting covert operations within the United States. From low-level operatives intimidating human rights protesters to a sitting California mayor, China's campaign of transnational repression appears to be accelerating. If you or someone you know believes they ha...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Guangcheng discusses the CCP's growing censorship surrounding the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, especially the suppression of pro-Israel voices online. The CCP has long sided with authoritarian regimes over democratic countries, often twisting Western media coverage to portray the West as weak and unstable to the...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng discusses President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Beijing and his meeting with Xi Jinping. Many people hope this visit will pressure the CCP to address its human rights abuses.

In part two of this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng continues the story of Xie Yang. After spending years in and out of “black jails” and formal imprisonment, Xie Yang received a five-year sentence following a secret trial. Although there is now a projected end to his current sentence, the reality is that the CCP is unlikely to ever fully release its control over h...

In part one of this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng shares the story of Xie Yang, a human rights lawyer facing ongoing persecution under the Chinese Communist Party. In 2010, Xie Yang was skeptical of reports about Guangcheng’s treatment. But after taking a bet from a friend, he set out to see the truth for himself, only to become the next target of the CCP’s fury....

In this episode of Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng examines the case of Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok Fung-yee and the Chinese Communist Party’s growing crackdown on all freedoms in Hong Kong. After taking part in pro-democracy protests, Kwok fled to the United States. Now, authorities are targeting her family, including the sentencing of her father, highlighting how collective pu...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng joins the discussion on reports surrounding Xi Jinping and the alleged arrest of military general Zhang Youxia. Is this about military strategy, or is it about consolidating power within the Chinese Communist Party? And what does it mean for tensions involving Taiwan?

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng explains a shocking case of CCP “wolf warrior diplomacy.” After Japanese leaders voiced support for Taiwan, a Chinese consular official in Osaka made inflammatory remarks that sparked public outrage and calls for deportation. Chen explains why this reflects a larger pattern of aggressive CCP diplomacy and why such officials m...

In this episode, Chen Guangcheng examines how recent U.S. military actions in Iran are being watched closely inside Communist China. Many Chinese citizens, frustrated with the Chinese Communist Party’s surveillance state and repression, see the conflict as a glimpse of what could challenge authoritarian power. As events unfold in the Middle East, the ripple effects may reach far beyond the region.

In this excerpt from the Rooney Report, Chen Guangcheng speaks with Russ Rooney and Dr. William Saunders about his dramatic escape from house arrest in Communist China. Guangcheng explains what drove him to risk everything to reveal the truth about forced abortions and abuses under China’s one-child policy. More than a decade later, he reflects on the policy’s lasting consequences, including a col...

Coming Spring 2026! A brand-new, full-length documentary, releasing for free. The film follows human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng as he travels to California to meet revolutionary artist Chen Weiming and experience his polarizing work in person at Liberty Sculpture Park. Chen Weiming was born in China but fled to New Zealand as the CCP tightened its grip on freedom of expression. He eventually ma...

In Part Three of this series, Dr. William Saunders concludes his interview with Dr. Robert Royal on the escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria. The episode outlines practical responses, including conditioning foreign aid, imposing sanctions, and maintaining Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern. Listeners are also encouraged to support groups such as Aid to the Church...

In Part Two, Dr. William Saunders continues his conversation with Dr. Robert Royal on the escalating attacks on Christians in Nigeria. They argue the violence is driven not merely by economic or environmental factors, but primarily by religious extremism. They also examine corruption, weak governance, and Western reluctance to confront the religious dimension of the crisis, while noting that Chris...

As the Chinese Communist Party prepares for its annual Two Conventions, a “sensitive time” begins across the country. In this episode, Chen Guangcheng reveals how activists are disappeared from Beijing, petitioners are hunted down, and families are locked inside their homes under constant surveillance. The message is clear: dissent will not be tolerated.

In Part One of this interview series, Dr. William Saunders speaks with Dr. Robert Royal, President of the Faith & Reason Institute and Editor-in-Chief of The Catholic Thing, about the escalating violence against Christians in Nigeria. They examine why the violence cannot be dismissed as mere economic or tribal conflict, but must be recognized as targeted anti-Christian violence. With more Chri...

At 78 years old, Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison under trumped up charges brought by the Chinese Communist Party. In this episode, Chen Guangcheng reflects on Lai’s life story, Hong Kong’s shifting legal system and press freedoms, and the broader crackdown on activists. Guangcheng also considers what role international pressure and economic leverage could play...

In part two of our interview, 2025 Human Rights Essay Contest first-place winner Zofia Joynt continues her conversation with Dr. William Saunders, director of The Catholic University of America’s Center for Human Rights. Zofia explores why “totalitarianism… tries to control everything” and how this fuels the CCP’s persecution of the Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners, Catholics, and other religious...

Discover part one of our interview with Zofia Joynt, first-place winner of the 2025 Human Rights Essay Contest hosted by the Catholic University of America’s Center for Human Rights. Dr. William Saunders, Director of the Center, sits down with Zofia to discuss her award-winning essay, which examines human dignity, totalitarianism, and the abuses carried out by the Chinese Communist Party. Together...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng shares alarming updates about several longtime friends and fellow human rights lawyers targeted by the CCP. Guangcheng reflects on the suffering of Li Heping, Li Boguang, and Li Subin—men who faced black jails, mysterious forced medication, torture, and suspicious illnesses after their activism. Their stories reveal the bruta...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng dives into the recent news of Maduro's capture and the vulnerability it exposes in the Chinese Communist Party. From the actions in Venezuela to growing unrest in Iran, he explains how these crises affect China and its leadership. Guangcheng also sheds light on how ordinary Chinese people are seeing through CCP propaganda...

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng highlights a surge of pro-democracy posters and public slogans appearing across several provinces, explaining what these growing acts of resistance reveal about public frustration with the CCP. He also highlights farmers in Hunan who are pushing back against forced agricultural policies. The episode further explores Xi Jinpin...

In this part two, Raleigh Adams, first-place winner of the 2025 Human Rights Essay Contest, expands on the principle that “at the center of our response must be an affirmation of human dignity,” exploring how concrete measures—like transparency laws and civic education—must be anchored in that moral truth. Together, she and Dr. William Saunders explore why dignity is the “moral backbone” of any au...