Lei Chen (Chinese: 雷震; pinyin: Léi Zhèn; 8 July 1897 – 7 March 1979) was a Chinese politician and dissident who was the early leading figure in the movement to bring fuller democracy to the government of the Republic of China.
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Born in Zhejiang in 1897,[1] Lei was educated at Kyoto Imperial University in Japan. His early political career included posts as the secretary-general of the National Political Assembly and Constituent National Assembly.[2] He also served on the Control Yuan,[3] as minister without portfolio, and presidential adviser.[2]
Lei Chen helped found and produce the periodical Free China, published beginning in 1950.[4][5] Lei was expelled from the Kuomintang in 1954.[6] Six years later, he founded the China Democracy Party with Hsu Shih-hsien and Huang Hua, among others.[7][8] Shortly thereafter, Lei was charged with sedition and jailed.[9] The charges are widely regarded as having been falsified by the Taiwan government and its then-ruling party the Kuomintang in response to Lei Chen's criticisms.[10]
He was released in 1970[11] and died on 7 March 1979, aged 82.[12][13] He was married to Sung Ying, who had also served on the Control Yuan.[14] Lei was posthumously exonerated by the Transitional Justice Commission in May 2019.[15][16]
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