Jianli Yang born in 1963 in Shandong Province, China. A rising star in the Chinese Communist Party in the 1980’s, he quickly became disenchanted by the corruption and duplicity of the communist system. He left China to study at U.C. Berkeley in 1986. In 1989 he participated in the demonstration for democracy at Tiananmen Square where he witnessed the massacre of thousands by the guns and tanks of the People’s Liberation Army. He narrowly escaped capture and returned to the United States to continue his activism.

In 2002, after completing his studies, Dr. Yang returned to China to help the labor movement with non-violent struggle strategies. He was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison, kept in solitary confinement for over one year. Following an international mobilization for his release, including a UN Resolution and a unanimous vote of both houses of the United States Congress, Dr. Yang was freed in April of 2007. He went back to the US to work committed to a peaceful transition to democracy in China. He firmly believes that continued world democracies’ leadership in holding China accountable for respecting the human and political rights of its citizens is a critical component for world stability and for the peaceful transition to a democratic society in China.

Dr. Yang is a frequent contributor to and interviewee by the international media, panelist at hearings held by US Congress, European Parliament and speaker in various international forums. He is the main driving force behind the InterEthnic/InterFaith Leadership Conference which in 2017 held its 12th edition in Japan. Jianli was the only Chinese invitee to attend the ceremony of H. H. the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday in Dharamsala, India. On that occasion he made aquaintance with Marco Pannella.