Persecuted social media activist on his lucky escape

As he trekked through the mountains on China's border with Laos, Lu Yuyu felt exhausted.

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He had been travelling for days. His companions were smugglers to whom he had paid 15,000 yuan ($2,050) to help him escape China, and they forced him to keep going until he could be delivered to two men and a scooter for the last few hours.

His daring escape from China in 2023 involved a great deal of luck.

Other dissidents have tried and failed; some made it to Laos but were sent back to China. From Laos, Lu headed to a UN refugee agency office in Thailand where he claimed asylum in Canada, and has since been reunited with his wife and cat. "I was very lucky to get out of China," Lu said from his new home in Calgary.