22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Two university students have filed a complaint this Wednesday against the Chinese Ministry of Education after being sanctioned in 2022 for distributing a series of rainbow flags on a campus.
The students, from Tsinghua University, had previously asked the rector to withdraw said sanction, which they also appealed to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.
Both had distributed a dozen flags in a campus store in July 2022, according to information from the ‘South China Morning Post’ newspaper. The Ministry, for its part, has indicated that the case “does not meet the requirements for administrative reconsideration.”
This is one of the few lawsuits filed to support the rights of the LGTBI community in China, where the issue continues to be heavily censored by the authorities. The students, however, have strongly rejected the accusation of “distributing unauthorized material” on campus, a charge that has “a negative impact on their lives.”
“We are a bit pessimistic about winning this case, but the lawsuit still has its importance to raise awareness in society,” said one of the students. Organizations defending Human Rights have applauded the decision and have shown their “surprise” at the struggle of the students to defend their rights. In addition, they have described the decision to sanction them as “politically motivated.”
