Popular Chinese activist, Wu Rongrong whose freedom of movement was restricted by the state for 10 years has been handed her traveling documents.
Wu Rongrong
A Chinese feminist activist who was banned from leaving mainland China for a decade has been given back her travel documents and allowed to travel.
Wu Rongrong will fly to Hong Kong on Sunday, where she will begin a post-graduate degree in law.
“Through the efforts of a lot of lawyers and negotiations, I am now able to go to Hong Kong,” Ms Wu told the Financial Times in a message.
Last week, state security officers in Ms Wu’s home province of Shanxi rejected her application for a new travel permit for Hong Kong, citing unresolved legal cases against her as the reason for the travel ban. She was also informed that she would be unable to exit mainland China for the next decade, a lengthy injunction that other activists said was unprecedented.
Ms Wu and four other activists gained global prominence after being detained in March 2015 as the group planned to hand out stickers in Beijing with anti-s*xual-harassment slogans on International Women’s Day. A criminal case against them was not dropped after their release.
Ms Wu posted a detailed account of why authorities rejected her travel permit to her social media account on the day she received the ban.
The following day authorities called her back to her home province in Shanxi, where they signaled they were willing to negotiate.