Jinrey Zhang is a student at Georgetown Law who has become increasingly vocal about repression committed by the Chinese government — especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. His activism has had an audience: Chinese state security officials, who didn’t like what they heard. Zhang’s family in China has received multiple visits from state officials over the past year.

Despite the costs, Zhang says that it’s worth it. “The suppression by the Chinese regime really gives me hope,” Zhang says. “Their fear gives me hope.” Zhang’s story is a powerful reminder of the importance of free expression, the courage of dissenters, and the need to protect against authoritarian censorship seeping into free countries.