Barefoot Lawyer Reports

In this final part, Elsa Johnson emphasizes that Chinese nationals—both in the U.S. and in China—are victims of the Chinese Communist Party. She also highlights her year-long investigation with Garrett Malloy into CCP influence at Stanford, detailing how some students are coerced into sharing research and experiences with the Party.Their findings, published on The Stanford Review and The Free Press, reveal the broader threat to academic freedom and democratic discourse, urging awareness and vigilance on campuses everywhere.Check out Elsa's report in The Stanford Review: https://stanfordreview.org/investigation-uncovering-chinese-academic-espionage-at-stanford/

In this third installment of our interview series, Elsa Johnson shares her personal experiences with CCP influence efforts on campus, including academic exchanges and social events designed to sway students’ perspectives.She emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activities to authorities, highlights the breadth of CCP targeting—from technology and engineering programs to universities nationwide—and stresses the need for Americans to remain vigilant about foreign influence.Check out Elsa's report in The Stanford Review: https://stanfordreview.org/investigation-uncovering-chinese-academic-espionage-at-stanford/Check back next week for part 4!

In part two of this interview, Stanford student and Stanford Review managing editor Elsa Johnson continues her story about an unsettling encounter with a man who at first seemed to be a fellow student.She details how he pressured her to travel to China without proper documents, aggressively pushed her to join WeChat under CCP monitoring, and displayed suspicious knowledge about other Stanford students abroad.Check out Elsa's report in The Stanford Review: https://stanfordreview.org/investigation-uncovering-chinese-academic-espionage-at-stanford/Check back next week for part 3!

In this first episode of a four-part series, Dr. William Saunders, Director of the Center for Human Rights at The Catholic University of America, sits down with Elsa Johnson, a Stanford University student, Managing Editor of The Stanford Review, and President of the Stanford Republican Club.Elsa shares her eye-opening experience of being approached online by someone connected to the Chinese Communist Party. What began as a seemingly ordinary Instagram message soon revealed deeper attempts at influence and recruitment.Check out Elsa's report in The Stanford Review: https://stanfordreview.org/investigation-uncovering-chinese-academic-espionage-at-stanford/Click here for part 2:https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wmgtCArzvkYmuQdX0ZpYy?si=eRvWVAC0RTedStxUWgjAKA

The Chinese Communist Party has long paid online commenters in China, known as the “50 Cent Army,” or, "The Five Dimes." to spread propaganda and drown out dissent. But now, they are taking this strategy global.In this episode, Chen Guangcheng discusses how the CCP is expanding its influence by reportedly paying foreign commenters up to $5 per post to attack activists, manipulate public opinion, and interfere in democratic processes abroad.

In this episode Chen Guangcheng tells the story of a 14-year-old girl in Jiangyou, Sichuan Province, whose brutal bullying was caught on video and spread online.When her father turned to the police for help, they refused to act — and soon after, the girl disappeared.As the video went viral, thousands of citizens flooded the streets demanding justice, only to be met with crackdowns, arrests, and censorship.

In this episode of the Barefoot Lawyer Reports, Chen Guangcheng exposes the suspicious death of Luo Shuaiyu, a young medical intern in Hunan Province, whose story reveals chilling evidence of forced organ harvesting in China.After Luo’s death was labeled a “suicide,” his father uncovered thousands of deleted transplant documents, secret recordings of doctors, and a video in which Luo insisted he would never take his own life.This episode investigates how the CCP covers up organ trafficking, silences families, and profits from corruption at the highest levels of the medical system.Check out the interview with a survivor of organ harvesting: https://youtu.be/muCNGkJ3GQE

In this episode of the Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng discusses a deadly car attack in Kunming, Yunnan Province, and how the Chinese Communist Party quickly censored the story.He explains why many in China no longer trust the courts or government to protect their rights, and how censorship fuels desperation and unrest.

In this episode, Chen Guangcheng exposes a new tactic in the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda campaign: AI-generated videos impersonating him. He explains how these fake clips spread quickly online, fueled by suspicious accounts and coordinated comments, and warns about the growing danger of an information war on social media.

The CCP’s efforts to influence American democracy may go deeper than many realize.This episode discusses new FBI findings alleging that over 20,000 fake IDs were created to interfere in the 2020 election. It also examines the rise of UCA—an American nonprofit with reported ties to Chinese propaganda arms.With evidence of foreign influence, protest manipulation, and ideological infiltration, there are urgent questions about national security and election integrity that need to be addressed.

In this episode Chen Guangcheng discusses alarming reports from mainland China about human trafficking and forced organ harvesting. In June 2025, three children were found locked in metal cages in a truck in Hainan Province, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis.Guangcheng explains how vulnerable groups, including children and religious minorities, are at risk, and how the Chinese government is accused of covering up these disappearances.

As Hong Kong tightens its grip on religious expression, Cardinal Zen continues his ministry under police bail, refusing exile and remaining a symbol of resistance.Dr. Eric Lai joins William Saunders to discuss the growing threat to religious education, the state's push for ideological conformity, and the quiet heroism of those still fighting for their faith. With new trials looming and freedoms shrinking, solidarity with Hong Kong’s faithful is more urgent than ever.Dr. Eric Lai is a research fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Asian Law and the author of the forthcoming book Legal Resistance under Authoritarianism: The Struggle for the Rule of Law in Hong Kong. His research explores the intersection of law, politics, and human rights in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, with a focus on Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he has been active in civil society and human rights education since 2010.

Why did Cardinal Joseph Zen return to Hong Kong, knowing he could be imprisoned again?In this episode, Dr. Eric Lai joins Dr. William Saunders to explore Cardinal Zen’s fearless defiance of the CCP and his decision to stand with his people despite growing persecution. Public worship is being silenced, memorials erased, and the Church driven underground — yet Zen refuses to abandon his mission. Even under police watch, he visits prisoners and brings hope to the forgotten.Dr. Eric Lai is a research fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Asian Law and the author of the forthcoming book Legal Resistance under Authoritarianism: The Struggle for the Rule of Law in Hong Kong. His research explores the intersection of law, politics, and human rights in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, with a focus on Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he has been active in civil society and human rights education since 2010.

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng exposes the Chinese Communist Party’s manipulation of economic data in an effort to maintain its global image. Backed by first hand sources, Guangcheng discusses how the local governments are being instructed to embellish GDP reports, mask rising unemployment, and cover up economic decline following U.S. tariffs.

In this final part of the interview, Mark Clifford and Dr Saunders discuss the erosion of judicial independence in Hong Kong, highlighting the resignation of foreign judges and the manipulation of the legal system to target political dissidents. They discuss the unjust detention of Jimmy Lai and others, such as Chen Guangcheng's friend and human rights lawyer, Gao Zisheng, emphasizing the mockery of the rule of law in the city and the failure of a rule of law model for the mainland.Despite the bleak situation, Clifford remains hopeful about the future, noting that Hong Kong’s pro-democracy sentiment remains strong. He calls for continued international pressure, urging world leaders to advocate for the release of political prisoners like Jimmy Lai. He notes President Donald Trump has stated his desire to get Jimmy Lai released.Mark L. Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. A longtime Hong Kong resident, he formerly served as editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post and The Standard, and as a board director at Next Digital, the media company founded by Jimmy Lai.Find more of his work on his website: https://www.markclifford.org/

As tensions rise in the Middle East, a recent U.S. strike against Iran’s nuclear and propaganda infrastructure has sparked surprising reactions inside China.In this episode, Chen Guangcheng shares how Chinese citizens are responding to the footage—using coded language to bypass censorship and expressing hope that the U.S. might one day take similar action against the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda apparatus.

What happens when a regime exports surveillance, censorship, and repression beyond its borders?In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng discusses the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on U.S. institutions, the theft of Western technology used to oppress Chinese citizens, and how CCP-affiliated individuals are undermining freedom of speech—even on American campuses.

In part three of an interview with Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, he delves deeper into the story of Jimmy Lai, a prominent media figure and political prisoner, highlighting his courage, the obstacles he faces, and his unwavering commitment to democratic values. Drawing parallels to Natan Sharansky's own experience as a Soviet dissident, Clifford highlights Lai's unyielding spirit in prison and his refusal to submit to Chinese authority.Mark L. Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. A longtime Hong Kong resident, he formerly served as editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post and The Standard, and as a board director at Next Digital, the media company founded by Jimmy Lai.Find more of his work on his website: https://www.markclifford.org/

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Dr. William Saunders interviews Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong. Clifford discusses the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy movement, including the arrest of Jimmy Lai and the forced closure of Apple Daily. The conversation highlights how Beijing has dismantled press freedom and silenced dissent in the city.Mark L. Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. A longtime Hong Kong resident, he formerly served as editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post and The Standard, and as a board director at Next Digital, the media company founded by Jimmy Lai.Find more of his work on his website: https://www.markclifford.org/

In this episode of The Barefoot Lawyer Reports on China, Chen Guangcheng reflects on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre—what led to it, how the Chinese Communist Party crushed the movement, and whether another mass uprising is still possible today.From tanks in the streets of Beijing to the modern surveillance state, this conversation explores the harsh realities of authoritarian rule, the resilience of the Chinese people, and the role the western world must play.