Sun Dawu Insanely Jailed in China For Human Rights Activism

An Unjust Prison Sentence

In July, I read a disturbing article on CNN about how the courageous Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

He was simply advocating for basic human rights.

Even worse, the Chinese government is punishing not only Sun Dawu, but also his family and people close to him.

This is unacceptable. After reading this, I was outraged. Here’s a man who earned his success. As a philanthropist, he was doing good in the world. He was not afraid to speak up about corruption and malpractice in the Chinese government.

The Chinese government – and especially the disgraceful Chinese President, Xi Jinping – can’t handle anyone who challenge them in any way, especially related to their corrupt practices.

They then resort to stone-age type actions and punishments so they don’t have to face the truth.

I’m not picking on China here. I’m calling out people who are blatantly corrupt and unjust.

From the CNN article:

Advocacy group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said Sun was being put on trial “as a blatant attempt to punish Sun for his support of human rights.“

“Sun Dawu has made extraordinary contributions to improving the life of Chinese citizens living in rural China,” said Ramona Li, senior researcher and advocate for CHRD.

CHRD added Sun was arrested along with his wife and adult children.

The truth is Sun Dawu is an authentic leader.

All It Took Is One Email

I decided to send an email to the Amnesty International office here in The Netherlands, where I live, to let them know about this insane injustice in China. Amnesty is a powerful organization making a big difference in the world, including defending, supporting, and helping people facing grave injustices.

I told them I like their site and organization, and was wondering if they could help Sun Dawu. Here’s their response to me:

In their response, they copied in the Hong Kong office as well.

Does this solve the situation? Far from it. But it’s a lot more than nothing. They not only acknowledged my email, but they forwarded it to their headquarters in London while also notifying activists in Hong Kong.

What a powerful step forward. This is how change begins.

And all it took is one email.

The Power of Caring

On this authentic leadership blog, we talk a lot about the power of caring – not in a cheesy motivational way, but as a real, practical way of being.

Caring is so lacking in today’s world, yet it’s so important. Trading in the currency of care is what will take you from good to great, and then from great to legendary.

Yes, we all need to make money. What I’m talking about here is your why and purpose – your reason for doing what you do, that comes higher than making money.

I know we’re genuinely busy. We have competing priorities and demands. There’s limited time and energy. We have jobs, families, and obligations. I acknowledge this.

At the same time, caring doesn’t have to be some insanely long act. Don’t make it more complicated than it has to be. The email that I wrote to the Amnesty office here in The Netherlands took five to ten minutes to write and send.

Due to that one email, some of the top people at Amnesty have their attention on this, and they are now doing research and strategically thinking about further action.

I’m not trying to impress you here. I simply want to convey – and show through my actions – that small, simple actions can lead to extraordinary change. The ripple effect is a very real occurrence.

You can make the world a better place. Real change is possible. The key is that you need to care. If you don’t take the time to care, no one else will.

Of Course, Continue To Know Your Boundaries

Please know I’m not saying to go over your boundaries here to the point where you betray or hurt yourself in any way. Your health is a priority. And, as one person, you have to pick and choose what you decide to care about.

This is also why the ripple effect is so important. When you lead by example and start caring other people will follow suit and begin caring about other things.

I mentioned earlier that I first read about this injustice and atrocity in July of 2021. I didn’t send the email to Amnesty until December of 2021.

During the summer, I was involved in several projects and training courses, among other priorities. I’m also still recovering from the long-term effects of a brutal burnout.

Point being, I didn’t compromise my boundaries to send this email to Amnesty. While I would have liked to send something sooner, I learned the hard way that it’s foolish to consistently overwork yourself.

I sent the note to Amnesty about Sun Dawu when the time was right for me (and by waiting, I actually had more time to research organizations like Amnesty, as I didn’t even though they were involved in things like this until now).

While I was at it, I ended up going onto the Amnesty site and sending notes, messages, and petitions regarding dozens of serious injustices happening to innocent, caring people across the world.

It felt SO good to take these actions and have some small part in righting wrongs. The good news is that when you put your energy into the right things, you will actually get energy instead of feeling drained.

You Are More Powerful Than You Know

The moment we start to think that our voices don’t matter is the moment injustice wins. While it’s impossible to care about everything, you can care about something. What you choose to care about is up to you – as long as you’re making a choice to truly care, you are making an impact and leading by example.

There are plenty of examples with Amnesty where, because enough people cared, people were saved from extreme injustice. I’m looking forward to potentially seeing a similar outcome with Sun Dawu.

What’s your take on the power of caring? What’s your approach to helping others when you can while juggling your other life responsibilities? I’d love to hear in the comments below.

Jeff Davis is an award-winning author, most recently publishing The Power of Authentic Leadership: Activating the 13 Keys to Achieving Prosperity Through Authenticity. He’s also an authentic leadership keynote speaker and success coach. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter. For three free books (The Power of Authentic Leadership, Reach Your Mountaintop, and Traveling Triumphs) in exchange for being added to his email list, email his Executive Assistant at meg@jeffdspeaks.com. Learn more about his story on his About page and feel free to check out his author page on Amazon.