Guangxi Liuzhou Lawyer Qin Weijin, Sentenced to 2 Years and 6 Months, Has His Law License Revoked While in Prison; Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Behind Bars
On September 28, 2026, this outlet learned that Guangxi lawyer Qin Weijin, who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, was not released until September 12, 2026, after completing his sentence. He was convicted for his words and is a victim of a “literary inquisition.” His law license was revoked while he was serving his sentence. A penalty decision issued by the Guangxi Department of Justice shows that on August 20, 2026, the department decided to revoke his law license on the grounds that Qin Weijin had received criminal punishment for an intentional crime.
Lawyer Qin Yongpei said today: “I just passed through Liuzhou and stopped by to see Lawyer Qin Weijin. Now that he is free, Lawyer Qin Weijin is doing everything he can to get medical treatment. He was diagnosed with lung cancer on August 8, 2026, which is undoubtedly a huge blow to his family. His son is still in college. I don’t know how I can help him. He was given chemotherapy twice in prison, and his whole body has been ruined. He currently has no appetite at all and is too weak to walk. The psychological blow to him has been especially severe. After all, it is lung cancer, a very dangerous disease.”
Qin Weijin: Director of Guangxi Qintong Law Firm, born in 1962, graduated from university in 1985 with a bachelor of laws degree, and was a teacher at the National University for Court Cadres’ Part-Time Legal Studies. He worked in the economic, civil, criminal, and juvenile divisions of a court, serving as a judge and presiding judge, before becoming a full-time lawyer. After the Chinese Communist Party authorities cracked down on rights lawyers in the “709 incident” in 2015, criminal defense lawyers faced enormous difficulties. Qin Weijin repeatedly voiced support for other criminal defense lawyers who had been treated unfairly. He joined petitions of support in the 2016 “incident in which Guangxi lawyer Wu Liangshu was beaten by court police after being denied a filing at the Qingxiu District Court in Nanning,” the “case in which Sichuan lawyers Zhan Zhaocheng and Liu Xun were accused of obstructing testimony,” and the 2018 “incident in which Guangdong rights lawyer Sui Muqing had his license revoked.”
On March 15, 2024, Liudong Branch of the Liuzhou Public Security Bureau criminally detained Lawyer Qin Weijin on suspicion of “inciting ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination.” Qin Weijin was subsequently formally arrested and indicted, and was finally sentenced to 2 years and 6 months for picking quarrels and provoking trouble on May 25, 2025. He completed his sentence and was released on September 12, 2026.
This outlet will continue to follow Lawyer Qin Weijin’s situation.
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