Following a petition first released in late February urging the National People’s Congress to ratify the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a group of 151 people have signed a new petition similarly addressed to the NPC. This group of signers includes many petitioners, such as Mao Hengfeng (毛恒凤) and Wang Kouma (王扣玛), democracy activists such as Hu Shigeng (胡石根), journalists such as Zan Aizong (昝爱宗), rights defense lawyers such as Li Subin (李苏滨), as well as artists such as Yan Zhengxue (严正学).

The previous petition was signed by 121 people, including some of China’s most prominent intellectuals—who are considered to be “inside the system” and rarely sign open letters or petitions—alongside ordinary citizens. Among these well-known figures are scholars Mao Yushi (茅于轼), Qin Hui (秦晖), He Weifang (贺卫方), and Zhu Xueqin (朱学勤), writers Dai Qing (戴晴) and Wang Lixiong (王力雄), and retired Party cadres He Fang (何方) and Feng Lanrui (冯兰瑞).