Hong Kong Macau Republic of China (Taiwan)(groups of pro-Chinese identity) Hong Kong Republic of China (Taiwan)(groups of pro-Chinese identity) Current Former 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.

Born in Zhejiang in 1897,[1] Lei was educated at Kyoto Imperial University in Japan.

[2] Lei Chen helped found and produce the periodical Free China, published beginning in 1950.

[6] Six years later, he founded the China Democracy Party with Hsu Shih-hsien and Huang Hua, among others.

[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.